INCIDENTAL    ILLUSTRATIONS 


OP     THE 


ECONOMY  OF  SALVATION, 


s  JBjrdriiua   and  Ittius* 


BY 

Mrs.  PHCEBE  PALMER, 
ii 

AUTHOR    OF    "THE    WAY    OF    HOLINESS,"    "ENTIRE    DEVOTION,''    "USEFUL    DISCIPLE," 
'   FAITH  AND  ITS  EFFECTS,"  "RECOLLECTIONS  OF  MRS.  L.  N.  C,"  ETC.,  ETC. 

40 


I  can  scarcely  think  any  pains  misspent  that  brings  me  solid  evidence  of  the  great  truth,  that 
tne  Scripture  is  the  Word  of  God,  which  is  indeed  the  Great  Fundamental.  — Boyle. 

1  am  resting  on  the  Old  Foundations.  —  Dying  Words  of  Olin. 


NEW  YORK: 
"FOSTER    AND    PALMER,    Jr. 

14  Bible   House. 
1  866. 


Entered  according  to  Act  oPCongress,  in  the  year  1853, 

By  Walter  C.  Palmer,  M.  D. 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


PRINTED   BY 
Q  22  O  .     C .     RAND     &     AVtl.i, 


TO 

REV.    BISHOP    AND    MRS.    HAMLINE, 

THE     LONG     TRIED 

AND 

gharlg   C|eri»i*fc  Jrienbs   of  mg  feari, 

THIS    BOOK 

IS     AFFECTIONATELY     DEDICATED, 
BY    THE    AUTIXOR. 


101795 


($0  the  jtaiter. 


All  religious  truth  necessarily  connected  with  human  salva- 
tion is  older,  and  more  impregnable,  than  the  everlasting  hills 
Truth  is  an  attribute  of  the  Deity,  and,  therefore,  from  everlast- 
ing to  everlasting.  In  offering  a  new  book,  we  will  not  promise 
to  present  new  truths.  But  it  is  our  expectation  to  present  old 
truths,  newly  dressed,  with,  perhaps,  originality  of  conception.  In 
such  diversified  aspect,  and  simplicity  of  attire,  do  we  hope  to  in- 
vest some  of  the  more  important  truths  of  the  Bible,  that  we 
fondly  anticipate,  dear  reader,  you  may  not  tire,  as  together  we 
pass  through  the  volume.  With  few,  have  opportunities  for  diver- 
sified observation,  on  religious  experience,  been  more  ample  than 
with  the  writer;  and  it  is  without  hesitation  we  assure  you,  that 
we  shall  present  to  you  new  developments  of  truth,  in  the  con- 
templation of  which,  you  cannot  fail  to  be  interested  and  profited. 
We  assure  you  of  this ;  for  we  have,  ourselves,  been  interested,  and 
newly  taught,  and  inspired  in  our  heavenward  way,  as  we  have 
thus  carefully  marked  the  operations  of  grace  on  a  diversity  of 
mind.  The  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  developing  instructive 
truth,  are  as  diversified  as  is  the  construction  of  the  human  mind. 
And  there  is  heavenly  wisdom  in  noting  minutely  these  diversities 
of  operations ;  for,  "  Whoso  is  wise  will  observe,  and  he  shall 
understand  the  loving- kindness  of  the  Lord."  Then  we  will 
invite  you,  pleasant  reader,  to  accompany  us  in  marking  these 
minute    Dbservances,   trusting    that,  in   our    communings,  we  shall 

1* 


VI  TO     THE     READER. 

together  be  made  wiser,  and  be  better  able,  by  the  perusal,  to 
understand  the  loving- kindness  of  the  Lord.  With  a  prayerful 
and  humble  reliance  on  the  Spirit  of  all  Truth,  we  present  our 
Incidental  Illustrations  to  the  reading  public,  from  a  solemn  con- 
viction that  it  is  due  to  the  grace  of  God;  believing  that  the 
difficulties,  in  many  minds,  may  be  met  by  observing  how  other 
minds,  similarly  constituted,  were  helped  out  of  difficulties. 

The  writer  has  one  leading  aim,  in  all  she  has  written ;  and 
that  is,  to  give  prominence  to  the  fact  that  the  Bible  is  the 
Woud  or  God.  The  God  of  the  Bible  is  no  respecter  of  persons. 
The  Bible  is  not  a  sectarian  book,  but,  to  all  of  every  name,  it  is 
a  sufficient  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  and  all  its  doctrines  are 
easy  to  be  understood  to  those  who,  with  humility  and  decision, 
resolve  on  obedience  to  its  precepts.  It  reproves  the  dogmatic, 
the  aspiring,  and  the  captious,  and  sets  wide  open  the  door  of  life 
with  equal  readiness  to  the  most  humble  peasant,  as  to  the  most 
profound  theologian,  provided  he,  with  equal  decision  and  humility, 
obeys  its  simple  requisitions.  "  If  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he 
shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it  be  of  God."  Thus  making 
a  knowledge  of  its  doctrines  dependent  on  the  sincerity  of  the 
intentions  and  the  obedient  docility  of  the  inquirer,  rather  than 
upon  his  ability  for  theological  speculations.  It  has  been  the  aim 
of  the  writer  to  set  forth  Bible  doctrines  and  duties  as  simplified 
to  her  own  perceptions,  by  the  teachings  of  the  Spirit,  tlirough 
the  Written  Word,  and  made  tangible  by  every-day  illustrations 
and  experiences.  It  was  by  a  reference  to  these,  that  the  Savior 
taught  the  multitude.  And  if,  by  so  doing,  we  may  make  truth 
more  tangible,  we  will  not  dread  the  fastidiousness  of  the  critic, 
.  but  will  commit  our  reputation  and  our  work  to  Him  who  judgeth 
righteously,  and  who  will  keep  that  which  we  have  committed 
•into  him  against  that  day. 


d^nl^nts. 


PA  61 

An  Old-fashioned  Choir, , , 11 

Jesus  receives  Disciples  immediately, 13 

Holiness  versus  Infidelity, 25 

A  Healthy  Countenance, 29 

A  Sinner  Convicted  by  the  Smile  of  a  Christian, 31 

Effect  of  Christian  Courtesy  and  a  Happy  Face, 33 

The  Old  Landmarks, 36 

Wesley  Speaking  for  Himself, 36 

When  are  we  to  believe  ourselves  Wholly  Sanctified? 37 

Are  Conversion  and  entire  Sanctification  simultaneous  ? 38 

How  soon  may  entire  Sanctification  succeed  Conversion?   88 

May  Holiness  of  Heart  be  received  by  one  Act  of  Faith? 39 

Must  this  Blessing  be  Professed  in  order  to  be  Retained? .40 

The  Sweetest  Thing  I  ever  told  you, 43 

Can  I  believe  myself  Sanctified  before  I  am  so  ? 45 

Unity  of  the  Spirit, 47 

Religion  an  Active  Principle, 48 

Come  to  the  Right  Point,  and  then  Believe, 49 

M I  cannot  see  into  this  Way," 61 

Why  are  there  not  more  Missionaries  ? 53 

One  of  Satan's  Devices, '56 

The  Talent— used  or  lost, 60 

To  a  Secularized  Minister, 61 

A  Watchman  away  from  his  Post, 63 

AnOpposer  Smitten, 64 

Victory  in  Death, 65 

What  is  wanting  ? 67 

The  Sisters — How  a  Church  was  built, 68 

The  Salvation — retained  or  lost, 71 

Ministry,  Education  and  Politics, 73 

Secular  Business,  and  a  Call  to  the  Ministry, 75 

Conversion  of  a  Jew, 77 

The  two  Teachers — Jesus  and  Gamaliel, 78 

Have  you  given  up  All  ?    Yes,  All, 79 

The  Pious  Mistress  and  her  Servant, 80 

Stingy  Christians,  82 

Why  is  his  Chariot  so  long  in  coming  ? 84 

Church  Poverty  Self-imposed, 85 

A  Hundred  and  Fifty  Dollars  and  Twelve  Souls, 87 


•  t  • 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The  Longer  Way  and  Shorter  Way  tested, 91 

A  Bflvival  may  be  withheld  in  mercy, 97 

Last  Days  of  Bishop  Hedding, 99 

At  Kadish  Barnea, 104 

The  only  Foundation  of  Faith, , 105 

The  Nobleman, 106 

Christ  in  the  Heart, 1C8 

The  Time  appointed, 109 

A  Pioneer  Faith  required  of  Ministers, 109 

My  Experience, 109 

The  great  Bequisition, 113 

Confession, 114 

Steadfastness, 115 

A  Point  beyond  Wavering, 116 

To  a  Bereaved  Father, 117 

The  Old  Paths, 121 

A  Satanic  Expedient, 123 

The  Celestial  Garb  assumed, 125 

To  the  Law  and  to  the  Testimony, 128 

Fruits  of  the  Controversy, 133 

The  Man  who  did  not  know  where  he  was, • 135 

The  Half-hour  Proposition, 138 

In  Darkness  from  Neglect  of  Duty, 146 

The  Witness  of  the  Spirit, 148 

To  a  Seeker  of  the  Witness  of  the  Spirit, 150 

Personal  Effort  to  enlist  Seekers  of  Salvation, 154 

A  Flight  to  the  Altar, 155 

The  Mistake, 158 

A  Conversion  questioned,  and  why, , 162 

A  sudden  and  unquestionable  Conversion, 165 

The  Captain  and  his  Guest, 167 

Justification  and  Sanctification, 171 

Where  does  the  one  end  and  the  other  begin? 171 

The  Crisis, 172 

Can  we  be  more  than  Perfect  ? 174 

Universalism  harrowed  out, 175 

Love-feast  Testimony, .176 

The  Machinery  and  the  Motive  Power, 178 

A  Bemarkable  Meeting, 186 

Of  that  Faith  which  Sanctifies  wholly  now, 188 

The  Steps  in  Faith  taken  by  your  Friend, 189 

Awakened  just  in  time, 191 

The  Invincibles, 197 

Humanity  in  Heaven, 198 

Divinity  on  Earth, 200 

Privileges  are  Duties, 201 

One  Idea, 202 

"  This  one  Thing  I  do," 208 

Mil  isterial  Trials  and  Triumphs ,  .  .205 


C  O  NTENTS  .  IX 

■ 

PAOI 

Reputation  in  Heaven, 207 

The  Rejected  Minister's  Refuge .• 208 

Seeking  the  Lost, 210 

The  Inebriate, 211 

A  Ministering  Angel  took  the  Name, 217 

The  Magistrate,  the  Lawyer,  and  the  Merchant, 218 

Gatherings  by  the  Way, 220 

A  Starless  Crown, 220 

How  new  Victories  may  be  obtained, 221 

The  Work  guarded,  not  the  Workmen, 222 

Family  Gathering, 223 

To  a  Galifomian, 226 

Providence  indicates  the  Will  of  God, 226 

Business  subservient  to  Soul-saving, 226 

Christians  in  Search  of  Gold, 228 

The  Bridal  Party, 229 

The  Wedding  Tour, 229 

Married  Life  commenced  aright, 283 

Sunday  Morning  News, 236 

Converted  and  called  to  Preach  in  three  Days, 238 

Supplementary, 242 

Close  Quarters, 246 

God's  Forewarnings, • 261 

Providential  Admonitions  disregarded, 252 

A  Cup  of  Cold  Water, 254 

The  Traveller  entertained, 264 

The  Generous  Hostess  rewarded, 257 

My  Rich  Poor  Friend, 259 

My  Poor  Rich  Friend, 261 

A  Covenant  well-ordered  and  sure, 263 

Equality, 265 

The  Colored  Woman  and  the  Lawyer, 265 

Life  a  Failure, 268 

Wealth  first,  the  Ministry  afterwards, 268 

The  Incog, 271 

The  Incog  in  the  Nursery, 271 

"  "        Kitchen, 273 

«  "        Parlor  and  Chamber, 274 

"  "        Counting-house, 275 

"  "        Church, 276 

«  "        Pulpit, 277 

The  Minister's  Wife, 279 

Proxy  Worship, 289 

286 


Praying  by  Proxy 


Singing  by  Proxy, '  •  287 

Scriptural  Worship, 292 

Conviction  of  the  Unlearned  and  Unbelieving  contemplated, 292 

Scriptural-  Singing, 298 

A  Trophy  of  Congregational  Singing,    8W 


*  C  ONTEN  T  S . 

tjum 

A  Debt  paid, 302 

How  Frances  experienced  Religion, 302 

I  don't  mean  to  be  made  Unbappy  to-day, 304 

Metaphysical  Difficulties  considered, 307 

Place  the  Stake  a  little  farther, 312 

The  Incog  and  the  Pocket-book, 314 

Do  not  Profess  before  you  Believe, 319 

A  New  Church  on  Right  Principles, .323 

I  don't  believe  in  Holiness, .325 

Conversion  of  Sinners  and  Sanctification  of  Believers, 328 

The  Conversion  of  a  Husband  delayed, 331 

Show  the  Footmarks, 335 

Relation  of  Christian  Experience, 835 

My  Experience  is  not  my  own, 337 

The  Word  of  their  Testimony, 838 

Sensitiveness, 342 

Do  the  Sanctified  feel  sensitively? 842 

A  Messenger  told  it, 844 

Do  you  persecute  Christ  ? 845 

The  Methodist  Ministry, 347 

Publishit.    Tellit, 353 

Father  M , 355 

Young  Converts  may  be  wholly  Sanctified, 363 

A  Singular  Vow 366 

Thank-offering  for  Salvation  from  Trouble, 367 

God  appropriates  what  is  given  to  Him, 368 

How  is  it  with  that  Child  ?  369 

Get  down  Low, 370 

God's  Word  its  own  Evidence, 372 

Enriched  by  Trials, 374 

Worse  than  Judas, 875 

The  Savior  Sold  for  less  than  Thirty  Pieces  of  Silver, 375 

Aristocracy  in  Religious  Associations, 877 

Who  are  the  Aristocracy  of  Heaven  ? 379 

Who  most  proper  to  take  charge  of  a  Convert, 379 


INCIDENTAL  ILLUSTRATIONS 


OF    TH1 


ECONOMY    OF    SALVATION. 


»*!»« 


Jin  ©td-JfaaMmtfll  d|Juur. 


Christians  are — and  in  fact  ought  to  be — very 
happy.  Do  you  shrink  away  from  me  and  say,  "  O, 
that  sounds  old-fashioned  and  fanatical "  ?  Well,  agreed. 
But  pray,  my  friend,  do  not  leave  me  until  I  introduce 
to  your  attention  some  old-fashioned  friends,  who  are 
inviting  us  to  unite  with  them  in  adoring  triumphant  song. 
And  with  whom  shall  we  join  ?  Here  is  David.  Shall  we 
unite  with  him,  and  "  shout  unto  God  with  the  voice  of 
triumph "  ?  And  here  is  Isaiah.  Surely,  we  will  nc 
longer  let  him  chide  our  silence.  Then  let  us  strike  the 
note  yet  higher,  and  "sing  unto  the  Lord,  for  he  hath 
done  excellent  things  ;  this  is  known  in  all  the  earth. 
Cry  out  and  shout,  thou  inhabitant  of  Zion ;  for  great 
is  the  Holy  One  of  Israel  in  the  midst  of  thee."  And 
yet  I  must  detain  you,  for  here  is  the  importunate 
Zephaniah,  beseechingly  saying,  "  Sing,  O  daughter  of 
Zion  !  shout,  O  Israel !  be  glad  and  rejoice  with  all  the 
heart,  O  daughter  of  Jerusalem !  "  And  Ezra  is  here  also, 


1%  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Great  excitement.  Why  not?  Shouting  and  soul- saving. 


telling  us  of  a  great  excitement  which  attracted  much 
attention  in  his  day,  when  all  the  people  shouted  with 
a  great  shout,  and  praised  the  Lord,  because  the  foun- 
dation of  the  Lord's  house  was  laid,  so  that  the  noise 
was  heard  afar  off;  for  the  people  shouted  with  a  loud 
shout.  Now  if  you  had  been  there,  my  friend,  would 
you  have  chided  them,  as  old-fashioned  and  fanatical  ? 
But  lo  !  here  comes  John  !  Hark  !  Do  you  not  hear 
a  great  voice  of  much  people  ?  What  are  they  singing  ? 
"  Alleluia :  salvation,  and  glory,  and  honor,  and  power 
unto  the  Lord  our  God !  "  Listen  !  They  challenge  us 
to  unite  with  them.  Shall  we  do  it?  Alleluia!  It 
is  done !  How  exhilarating  the  strain !  Surely  our 
spirits  are  already  proving  the  raptures  of  the  redeemed 
and  blood-washed  !  And  why  not  ?  As  the  redeemed 
of  the  Lord,  we  will — we  must — claim  our  purchased 
inheritance  with  the  saints,  and  will  return  to  Zion  with 
songs  and  everlasting  joy  upon  our  heads  !  "  But  what 
have  happy  Christians,  the  songs  of  the  redeemed,  and 
the  shouts  of  the  inhabitants  of  Zion,  to  do  with  the 
salvation  of  souls  ?  Is  not  this  the  one  legitimate 
calling  of  the  Christian  ?  And  how  little  have  the  tri- 
umphs of  Christians  to  do  with  the  salvation  of  those  who 
are  blinded  by  the  god  of  this  world !  "  Do  not  be  too 
fixed  in  your  opinion,  my  friend.  Let  me  illustrate  by 
an  incident  which  came  under  my  observation,  and  then 
tell  me  if  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  not  the  strength  of  the 
church. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  13 

The  joy  of  salvation.  The  young  la<iy.  The  inquiry. 

JESUS  RECEIVES  DISCIPLES  "  IMMEDIATELY." 

"Would  you  not  love  to  be  just  as  happy  as  that 
lady  ?  "  asked  I  of  a  whole-souled  worldling. 

The  lady  to  whom  the  attention  of  this  worldling  had 
been  directed  had  just  entered  into  the  conscious  pos- 
session of  perfect  love  ;  and  so  joyful  was  she  in  having 
attained  the  Spirit's  witness  to  the  fact  that  Christ  now 
reigned  unrivalled  in  her  heart,  that,  from  the  abundance 
of  her  heart,  she  literally  obeyed  the  Scripture,  "  Shout, 
O  Israel,  be  glad  and  rejoice  with  all  thy  heart,  O 
daughter  of  Jerusalem !  "  For  she  felt  that  the  Lord 
had  cast  out  her  enemy,  and  the  King  of  Israel,  even  the 
Lord,  was  in  the  midst  of  her.  I  had  just  been  laboring 
in  spirit  with  her,  and  had  witnessed  her  deep  groanings 
and  pleadings  for  the  destruction  of  sin,  and  for  purity 
of  heart ;  and,  now  that  the  enemy  had  been  cast 
out,  and  the  witness  of  purity  given,  it  was  not  wonder- 
ful that  she  was  shouting  in  view  of  the  full  entrance 
of  the  Holy  One  in  the  midst  of  her,  making  all  things 
new. 

This  was  at  one  of  the  feasts  of  tabernacles,  in  the 
rear  of  a  private  tent ;  and  standing  at  the  tent  door  was 
the  unconverted  yet  interesting  young  lady  to  whom  we 
had  addressed  our  inquiry — "  Would  you  not  love  to 
be  just  as  happy  ?  n  In  a  wishful  tone  she  replied,  "  1 
would."  "  Well,  the  same  happiness  is  for  you,  if  you 
are  only  willing  to  comply  with  the  same  conditions. 
It  does  not  take  the  Savior  longer  to  accept  disciples 
now,  than  in  the   days  of  his   incarnation.     When  he 


14  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Will  you  comply ? "  "I  would  love  to — but 


called  those  early  disciples,  Peter,  James,  John  and 
Matthew,  it  is  written  'Immediately  they  forsook  all  and 
followed  him.'  Would  you  be  willing  to  forsake  all  and 
follow  Jesus  ?  " 

She  looked  sad,  and  hesitated.  O,  how  my  heart 
coveted  her,  for  the  service  of  the  Savior!  She  was 
indeed  lovely,  and  her  hesitating  mood  reminded  me  of 
the  one  whom  Jesus  looked  upon  and  loved.  But  her 
heart  was  in  close  affinity  with  the  world.  She  had  won 
its  smiles,  was  enjoying  its  friendships,  and,  to  more 
than  an  ordinary  degree,  had  its  charms  been  lavished 
upon  her.  No  wonder  that  she  hesitated,  as  we  again 
affectionately  and  most  appealingly  said,  "  In  the  name 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  I  ask,  will  you  not 
now  comply  with  the  conditions  of  discipleship,  and, 
like  those  early  disciples,  immediately  forsake  all  and 
follow  Jesus  ?  " 

Still  she  lingered — said  she  would  love  to  do  it — 
but 

If  her  heart  had  spoken  out,  it  had  doubtless  said. 
"Greatly  do  I  desire  the  smiles  of  my  Savior, — fain 
would  I  be  his  disciple ;  but,  alas !  I  cannot  renounce 
the  world." 

We  reminded  her  of  the  interesting  young  man  who 
came  to  the  Savior,  desiring  to  be  received  as  his  dis- 
ciple. But,  lacking  in  one  point,  he  was  not  received, 
and  no  intimation  is  given,  in  the  records  of  grace,  that 
he  ever  afterwards  complied  with  the  conditions,  and 
became  a  follower  of  the  Savior.  Thus,  with  yourself, 
we  know  that  God  now  calls  you  ;  but  we  dare  not — 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  15 


The  command.  The  hesitation.  The  encouragement. 


cannot  assure  you  that  he  will  ever  again  call  you.  He 
says,  iS  Now  is  the  accepted  time !  behold,  now  is  the 
day  of  salvation  !  "  To-morrow  is  in  eternity,  and  before 
the  morrow  you  may  be  there  also  ;  especially  if  you 
longer  resist  God  by  your  delays.  Have  we  reason  to 
believe  that  he  would  have  called  Peter,  James  or  John 
repeatedly,  if  they  had  refused  to  come  at  his  bidding  ? 
Did  any  of  these  linger  and  make  excuses  ?  One  of  his 
disciples  once  said,  "  Lord,  suffer  me  first  to  go  and  bury 
my  father !  "  "Who  can  conceive  of  any  earthly  con- 
sideration of  equal  importance  with  this  ?  But  even  this 
plea  was  not  regarded  as  of  sufficient  importance  to  pre- 
vent an  immediate  response  to  the  Savior's  call,  "  Fol- 
low me."  The  Savior  only  replies,  "  Let  the  dead 
bury  their  dead,  but  follow  thou  me."  Jesus  is  now 
calling  you,  as  truly  as  though  you  could  hear  your 
name  distinctly  uttered  from  the  highest  heavens,  in 
tones  loud  as  were  the  thunders  of  Sinai.  And  will 
you  not  now  say,  "  In  the  strength  of  grace,  Lord,  I 
will  forsake  all  and  follow  thee  "  ? 

She  grew  yet  more  pensive,  as  she  saw  the  way  to 
the  Savior  hedged  up  by  the  cross.  But  we  took 
pains  to  assure  her  that  the  yoke  of  Christ  was  easy  and 
his  burden  light.  We  told  her  how  graciously  the 
Savior  would  bear  her,  cross  and  all,  if  she  would 
only  resolve  in  his  strength  to  take  it  up.  But  yet  we 
feared  she  would  go  away  sorrowful,  for  she  evidently 
was  unwilling  to  comply  with  the  only  conditions 
upon  which  Jesus  had  promised  to  receive  her. 

We  were   surrounded  by  some  worldly-minded  pro 


16  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  supposition.  The  by-path.  The  warning. 

fessors,  friends  of  the  }  c-ung  lady,  who  apparently  with 
much  interest  were  waiting  the  issue,  and,  failing  to  get 
her  consent,  we  changed  our  mode  of  address,  and 
pleasantly  said,  "  If  you  could  become  a  disciple  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  without  giving  up  the  world,  like 
some  worldly-minded  professors,  you  would  love  to  be 
a  disciple  of  that  sort,  would  you  not  ?  " 

Her  countenance  quickly  brightened  as  she  suddenly 
conceived  the  idea,  that  I  had  found  some  easier  way  to 
Jesus  than  by  the  cross,  and  she  joyfully  exclaimed, 
"  I  would."  "  Well,  there  is  a  by-path  which  seems 
to  be  leading  upward.  There  is  a  way  that  seemeth 
right  to  a  man.  There  are  many  who  take  upon  them- 
selves the  name  of  Christ,  who  do  not  renounce  the 
world.  They  seem  to  have  found  some  broader,  easier 
way,  than  the  way  of  the  cross.  But  the  Bible  pre- 
sents but  one  direct  way  to  heaven,  and  that  way  is  the 
narrow  way  of  the  cross.  The  cross  covers  all  the  way. 
The  way  is  not  broad  enough  to  admit  of  going  around 
it.  When  I  was  a  child,  I  used  to  hear  people  talk  of 
going  around  the  cross.  But,  since  I  have  learned  to 
read  the  Bible  for  myself,  I  see  it  presents  no  way  of 
going  around  the  cross,  without  getting  out  of  the  way. 
Jesus  says,  <  If  any  man  will  be  my  disciple,  let  him 
deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross,  (not  go  around  it,)  and 
follow  me.'  Those,  therefore,  who  attempt  to  go  around 
the  cross  instead  of  taking  it  up,  get  out  of  the  way  (o 
heaven  into  the  by-path,  the  way  that  seemeth  to  be 
right,  but  the  end  whereof  is  death.  And  these  are  the 
•  many '    to  which   the    Savior    refers,  when  he  says, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  17 


Life-long  deception.  A  false  light 


1  Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord,  Lord,  have 
we  not  prophesied  in  thy  name  ?  and  in  thy  name  have 
cast  ont  devils  ?  and  in  thy  name  done  many  wonderful 
works  ?  And  then  will  I  profess  unto  them  I  never 
knew  you ! '  People  generally  die  in  the  light  in  which 
they  live  ;  for  there  is  nothing  enlightening  in  death ;  it 
only  disembodies  the  spirit.  How  evidently  had  these 
people  died  in  their  deception !  and  now  they  come  to 
the  very  door  of  heaven,  expecting  admission,  but  the 
Savior  says,  '  I  never  Jcnew  you.''  Now  would  you  love 
to  imagine  yourself  in  the  way  to  heaven,  in  some  other 
way  than  the  way  of  the  cross  ?  Christians  are  called 
the  light  of  the  world ;  and  would  you  love  to  take  upon 
yourself  a  profession,  as  a  light  of  the  world,  and  have 
others  follow  you,  as  you  are  wishing  to  follow  other 
worldly-minded  professors,  and  then  find,  in  the  end, 
that  souls  have  been  lost  by  following  you,  instead  of  being 
saved  through  your  innue,nce  ?  Suppose  one  puts  up  a 
beacon-light  in  a  wrong  place,  and  a  vessel  is  decoyed 
from  the  right  channel  and  stranded,  and  all  on  board 
perish,  who  is  responsible  for  the  loss  of  life  ? 

"  Now  do  you  desire  to  take  upon  yourself  the  pro- 
fession of  Christ,  without  giving  up  the  world  ?  Would 
vou  be  willing  to  be  looked  up  to  as  one  of  the  lights 
of  the  world,  without  having  previously  taken  upon  you 
the  cross  of  Christ  ?  " 

With  much  earnestness  she  exclaimed  u  No !  I  don't 
want  to  be  such  a  professor !  " 

"  Then  I  again  ask  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  will 

you  comply  with  the  conditions  of   discipleship  ?     As 

2* 


18  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  only  terms.  All  heaven  is  waiting. 

well  may  you  make  up  your  mind  now  that  you  will  be 
lost — forever  lost !  and,  after  millions  of  the  ages  of 
eternity  have  rolled  away,  take  up  the  lamentation,  '  the 
harvest  is  past,  the  summer  is  ended,  and  I  am  not 
saved,'  as  to  make  up  your  mind  that  you  will  not  com- 
ply with  the  conditions  of  discipleship ;  for  on  no  other 
terms  can  you  be  saved.  O,  my  dear  young  friend,  what 
a  solemn  and  eventful  moment  is  this  for  you !  You  and  I 
will  remember  it,  as  together  we  stand,  with  an  assem- 
bled universe,  at  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.  The 
hosts  of  the  Lord,  now  encamped  about  us,  are  waiting 
to  hear  your  decision  !  The  recording  angel  has  been 
commissioned  from  the  throne  of  God,  and  is  now 
lingering  to  receive  the  answer,  as  it  may  fall  from  your 
lips,  and  register  it  on  the  pages  of  eternal  remembrance. 
Above  all,  Jesus,  who  loves  you,  and  through  whose 
intercessions  the  Holy  Spirit  now  comes  to  your  heart — 
Jesus,  your  Savior,  now  waits  to  hear  the  answer.  He 
calls  you  to  be  his  disciple — to  enter  upon  his  service. 
He  loves  you,  and  bids  you  come.  Yet  he  can  do  with- 
out you,  for  of  these  stones  he  can  raise  up  a  seed  to 
serve  him.  The  blissful  songs  of  praise  to  Jesus  from 
the  redeemed  will  be  just  as  sweet  to  all  eternity,  though 
you  may  never  join  in  them.  But  O,  Jesus  wants  you 
to  come,  and  be  made  a  partaker  of  his  salvation.  He 
knows  that  eternal  death  is  before  you,  for  the  sinner  is 
condemned  already.  But  he,  as  your  Redeemer,  has 
paid  a  great  price  for  your  redemption,  and  he  waits  to 
bestow  a  pardon,  and  the  gift  of  eternal  life,  upon  you. 
Let   him  not  say  of  you,    « Ye  will   not  come  unto  me 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  19 


Christ  would  die  again,  if  needful.  The  bitterest  ingredient. 

that  ye  might  have  life.'  Once  more  I  ask  you,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus,  will  you  comply  with  the  conditions  of 
discipleship  ?  " 

O,  the  solemn,  eventful  reminiscences  of  that  hour ! 
We  knew  that  God,  the  eternal,  promise-keeping  Je- 
lovah,  was  present.  And  by  an  eye  of  faith  we  saw 
Jesus,  the  mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  and  the  spirits 
of  the  just  made  perfect,  lingering  to  witness  the  answer 
of  that  redeemed  spirit.  The  soul  is  infinite  in  value. 
So  great  is  its  worth  that,  if  it  were  needful  for  Christ  to 
again  endure  the  agonies  of  the  cross  to  save,  we  should 
again  witness  the  tragical  scenes  of  Calvary.  But  the 
debt  has  been  paid.  And  now  the  worth  of  one  soul 
outweighs  the  universe. 

She  stood  before  us  silent  and  tearless ;  not  from  a 
destitution  of  interest,  but  from  an  intense  depth  of 
thought,  and  from  a  newly-awakened  consciousness  of 
responsibility.  And  still  we  waited  the  answer.  She  was 
evidently  and  deeply  convicted  of  duty.  We  directed 
the  eye  of  her  mind  to  a  distant  point  in  the  endless 
future,  and  showed  her  the  bitterest  ingredient  in  the  cup 
of  the  lost — "  Ye  knew  your  duty,  but  ye  did  it  not." 
She  acknowledged  that  her  judgment  was  convinced, 
and  we  said,  "  If  you  were  clearly  convicted  of  duty  in 
regard  to  ordinary  worldly  matters,  and  others  around 
you  knew  it,  you  would  be  ashamed  not  to  have  your 
actions  in  agreement  with  your  convictions,  would 
you  not  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"  Well,  here  are  God,  angels  and  men  observing  you 


20  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Knowledge  is  conviction.  "  In  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  I  will." 


clearly  convicted  of  duties  of  infinite  importance ;  and 
now  will  you  not  be  ashamed  before  God,  angels  and 
men,  not  to  act  now,  and  at  once,  in  accordance  with 
these,  your  convictions  ? 

"  You  do  not  wait  in  regard  to  other  and  less  impor 
tant  duties  till  you  feel  some  impelling  influence ;  but 
you  at  once  do  the  thing  because  you  ought.    You  knew 
it  is  your  duty  to  resolve  now  to  be  a  follower  of  Christ 
Do  not  wait  for  further  conviction.     Knowledge  is  con- 
viction.    Further  conviction  will  not  come  till  you  use 
what  you  have.     '  The  day  of  the  Lord  is  near  in  the 
valley  of  decision.'     I  do  not  ask  you  to  decide  in  your 
own  strength ;  but  I  do  ask  you  to  say  in  the  strength 
of  the  Lord,  I  will,  and  the  moment  you  do  this  the 
strength  of  the  Lord  will  be  pledged  for  your  sustain 
ment.     You  cannot  expect  grace  to  help  you  before  you 
make  the  resolve  ;  but  if  you  will  now,  in  the  strength 
of   the    Lord,    say,    '  I   will,'   this    moment   God  will 
strengthen  you."     She  exclaimed: 

"  In  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  I  will !" 

That  moment,  the  Holy  Spirit,  ever  true  to  his  work 
on  the  heart,  convinced  her  of  sin.  She  had  before  been 
convinced  of  her  duty  to  seek  and  serve  the  Lord ;  but 
now  she  was  so  suddenly  and  powerfully  convinced  of 
dn,  that  every  other  consideration  was  lost  in  the  over- 
whelming fact  that  she  was  a  sinner. 

I  had  told  her  that  the  Savior  was  waiting  to  receive 
.ier,  if  she  would  comply  with  the  conditions.  And  her 
wjye,  in  fact,  seemed  fixed,  as  though  she  saw  the  Savior 
In  the  distance.     But  she  saw  an  insurmountable  moun- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  21 


A  mountain  of  guilt.  Confession.  Supplication. 

tain  of  guilt  intervening  between  herself  and  the  Savior. 
And,  notwithstanding  she  seemed  to  keep  her  eye  on  Jesus, 
as  though  she  must  and  would  come  to  him,  yet  her  heart 
was  so  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  her  sins,  that  she 
was  wholly  lost  to  outward  observances,  and  she  cried 
out,  with  a  loud  and  yet  louder  voice,  "  O  Lord,  I  am 
a  sinner !  I  am  a  sinner !  I  AM  a  sinner  ! "  And 
still  she  repeated  it  again  and  again,  with  a  voice  yet 
more  intensely  sorrowful  and  vehement,  as  numbers 
gathered  round  in  amazement. 

I  might  have  sought  to  restrain  her  cry,  as  did  the 
multitude  that  of  blind  Bartimeus.  But  it  is  better 
that  sinners  know,  and  feel,  and  even  publicly  acknowl- 
edge that  they  are  sinners.  And  I  wished  this  dear 
young  lady  so  deeply  to  feel  her  sins,  and  so  fully  and 
repentingly  to  confess  herself  a  sinner  before  God  and 
man,  that  she  might  ever,  from  the  depths  of  humility, 
remember  the  fact. 

With  some  difficulty  I  obtained  her  attention  and 
observed :  "  It  was  said  of  the  Savior,  in  the  days  of 
his  incarnation,  '  This  man  receiveth  sinners.'  Now  you 
acknowledge  that  you  are  a  sinner,  and  if  Christ  is  the 
Savior  of  sinners,  is  he  not  your  Savior  ?  and  can  you 
not  say,  ' My  Savior,  receive  me'?" 

The  Holy  Spirit  condescended  to  speak  through  the 
organ  of  clay,  and  own  the  agency  which  had  been 
appointed  to  lead  this  precious  soul  to  Christ.  Imme- 
diately she  adopted  the  language,  and  began  to  ciy : 

"My  Savior,  receive  me!  Mv  Savior,  receive  me! 
MY  Savior,  receive  ME  !  " 


ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Salvation  now.  The  encouragement.  The  prayer.  The  faith. 

And  thus  she  continued  to  cry  for  a  few  moments  , 
while,  to  the  eye  of  her  faith,  the  Savior  was  evidently 
drawing  yet  nearer  and  nearer.  Again  I  interrupted 
lier  and  said  :  "  Your  Savior  has  said  just  when  he  will 
receive  you.  He  is  saying  to  you  just  now,  l  Now  is 
the  accepted  time  ;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation ! ' 
If  he  says  now,  he  means  now  !  Can  you  not  say,  f  My 
Savior,  receive  me  now  9f" 

"  My  Savior,  receive  me  now !  My  Savior,  receive 
me  now ! "  she  several  times  repeated  with  yet  greater 
earnestness,  and  most  evidently  with  increasing  faith, 
and  yet  more  experimental  apprehensions  that  the  Savior 
was  drawing  yet  nearer  to  her,  as  she  was  thus  endeavor- 
ing in  faith  to  draw  nigh  unto  him.  And  still  she 
repeated,  "  My  Savior,  receive  me  now !  " 

"  If  your  Savior  has  promised  to  receive  you  now, 
and  you  give  yourself  away  to  him  now,  is  it  not  your 
duty  to  believe  that  he  does  receive  you  now  ?  Not  that 
he  did  receive  you  before  you  renounced  your  sins  and 
gave  yourself  away  to  him  ;  but  that  he  does  now  receive 
you,  while  you  are  just  now  giving  yourself  away  to  him. 
He  says  :  (  Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out.'     You  come  to  him,  do  you  not  ?  " 

"  I  do." 

"  Well,  is  he  true  to  his  word,  or  is  he  not  ?  He 
either  does  receive  you,  or  he  does  not.  How  is  it  ?  In 
the  name  of  the  Lord,  I  ask  you,  how  is  it  ?  Does  Jesus 
now  receive  you  ?  Can  you  not  now  say,  '  My  Savior, 
thou  dost  receive  me  '  ?  " 

The  next  utterances  were  those  of  confident  faith. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  23 


Faith.  The  reception.  Joy. 

u  My  Savior,   thou    dost    receive    me !     Thou    dost 
receive  me  !     Alleluia  !  Alleluia  !  " 

But  we  cannot  describe  the  scene  that  followed.  It 
seemed  as  though  the  Savior  had  at  first  stood  in  the 
distance,  waiting  till  she  should  yield  to  the  Holy  Spirit's 
operations  ;  and,  just  as  she  drew  nigh  to  him,  in  the 
dedication  of  herself  to  him,  he  drew  nigh  unto  her, 
and  the  moment  she  believingly  took  him  at  his  word, 
and  opened  her  heart  to  receive  him,  he  entered,  and 
revealed  himself  to  her,  not  only  as  her  Savior,  but  as 
the  fairest  among  ten  thousand,  the  altogether  lovely, 
and,  in  loud  acclamations,  she  shouted  his  praise.  I  know 
you  would  not  have  hesitated  in  uniting  with  her  had 
you  been  present ;  for  who  could  have  refrained  ?  Hov- 
ering angels  united  in  our  joy,  and  flew  back  to  heaven 
with  the  blissful  tidings  of  another  sinner  saved.  O,  it 
was  indeed  a  wondrous  change,  and  the  new-born  spirit, 
thus  suddenly  translated  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness 
into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son,  was  unbounded  in 
its  raptures  !  Scarcely  one  half-hour  had  passed  since 
we  had  assured  her  that  the  Lord  was  willing  to  make 
her  as  happy  as  the  friend  to  whose  acclamations  of 
praise  she  had  listened ;  but  now,  had  we  asked  whether 
herself  or  that  friend  had  a  right  to  raise  the  higher  note 
of  praise,  surely  she  would  have  claimed  it  for  her- 
self, and  who  would  have  denied  her  the  privilege  ? 

We  should  judge  her  to  have  been  a  star  in  the  fash- 
ionable world,  and  worldly-minded  professors  had  circled 
around  her.  These  now  would  have  gathered  closely  to 
her  to  partake  in  her  joy.     It  was  a  curious  and  memo- 


#4  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  withering  reproof.  The  new  song.  Baptism  at  midnight. 

rable  sight  that  now  presented  itself.  As  these  friends 
drew  more  closely  to  her,  she,  instinctively,  as  if  by  an 
impulse  of  her  renewed  nature,  shrank  away,  retreating 
yet  farther  and  farther  as  they  approached,  exclaiming, 
"  I  have  been  ashamed  of  Jesus, —  but  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  him  now  !  "  Surely  the  reproof  was  withering,  and 
my  heart  was  pained  for  them  ;  but  it  was  right,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  made  use  of  the  circumstance  to  recall  these 
worldly  professors  back  to  the  cross  of  Christ. 

The  joyful  reception  of  this  new  disciple  occurred  a 
little  before  the  evening  twilight.  Hour  after  hour, 
during  the  evening  and  night,  did  we  hear  the  rapturous 
note  of  victory  and  praise  ascend  from  the  lips  of  that 
newly-received  disciple.  Seldom,  if  ever,  have  I  heard 
such  melodious  and  soul-thrilling  strains  of  praise.  She 
had  become  an  acknowledged  disciple,  and  the  Divine 
Teacher,  at  whose  feet  she  was  now  sitting,  had  indeed 
taught  her, — 

u  some  melodious  sonnet 

Sung  by  naming  tongues  above." 

About  midnight,  she  was  baptized  with  water  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  and  received 
into  Christ's  visible  church. 

The  last  I  heard  from  her,  which  was  about  two  years 
after  her  happy  change,  she  still  continued  a  lovely  dis- 
ciple of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  was  said  to  be  more 
than  an  ordinary  Christian. 

Does  not  this  prove  that  it  does  not  take  Jesus  longer 
to  receive  disciples  now,  than  in  the  days  of  his  incarna- 
tion ?    Here  was  an  unawakened  sinner  deeply  convinced 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  26 

Converted  in  a  half-hour.  Why  not?  The  infidel. 

of  sin,  and  powerfully  converted  in  less  than  half  an 
hour.  Why  is  it  that  some  convicted  sinners  are  days, 
weeks,  and  even  years,  seeking  salvation  ?  Is  it  because 
the  ways  of  the  Lord  are  not  equal  ?  or  is  it  because 
the  cross  of  Christ  is  not  made  sufficiently  prominent, 
and  an  entire  renunciation  of  the  world  regarded  as  im- 
perative ?  Surely,  Christ  is  as  truly  able  to  save  three 
thousand  in  one  day  now,  as  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
Decision  for  God,  an  entire  surrender,  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  are  the  steps ;  and  may  not  these  be  taken 
in  a  half-hour  as  truly  and  effectively  as  in  a  half-century  ? 
If  one  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a 
thousand  years  as  one  day,  why  not  ? 


m>  * 


jrrlm^  «u»  <f  nfiM% 


Some  imagine  that  the  subject  of  holiness  has  nothing 
to  do  with  arresting  the  attention  of  sinners.  But  here  is  a 
case  of  one  who  professed  himself  an  infidel,  but  wTho, 
through  the  presentation  of  Bible  Christianity,  which, 
according  to  the  Bible  standard,  is  holiness  to  the  lord, 
became  convinced,  in  view  of  its  being  so  presented,  of 
its  divine  origin.  This  was  a  marked  case.  It  wil] 
now  be  two  weeks  to-morrow  morning,  sinov,  we  were 
in  G.,  Upper  Canada.     The  church  was  quite  densely 


26  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

u  "Will  it  do  to  speak  of  holiness  here?  "  The  pensive  man. 

crowded  with  a  mixed  multitude.  In  view  of  this,  we 
were  questioning  whether  we  had  not  better  make  more 
general  remarks  than  we  imagined  some  present  might 
anticipate.  But,  while  we  were  thus  questioning,  the 
district  chairman,  who  was  present,  arose,  and  announced 
to  the  people  that  we  would  speak  to  them  on  the  sub- 
ject of  holiness.  We  did  so,  and  felt  that  the  Lord 
helped  us.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  while 
numbers  were  surrounding  the  altar  of  prayer,  some 
earnestly  seeking  the  witness  of  adoption,  and  others 
pleading  for  the  sanctifying  seal,  the  minister  pointed 
out  to  me  a  gentleman  in  the  congregation,  who  sat 
pensively  leaning  his  head  on  his  hand,  and  asked  if  I 
would  not  go  and  converse  with  him.  On  going  to  him, 
I  found  he  had  been  a  professed  infidel.  I  cannot  here 
go  through  with  the  way  in  which  the  Lord  helped  me 
to  meet  his  case,  but  will  pass  over  details,  which  I  am 
sure  would  interest  you,  to  say  that,  at  the  close  of  the 
evening  service,  the  minister  in  charge  gave  permission 
to  all  who  might  wish  to  converse  with  us  to  come  for- 
ward to  the  altar,  when,  lo !  this  professed  infidel,  with 
a  number  of  others,  responded  to  the  invitation.  From 
deeply  interested  countenances  greeting  us  in  every 
direction,  we  saw  that  our  friend,  the  sceptic,  was  not 
the  only  one  deeply  concerned  in  what  might  be  the 
result  of  the  interview. 

"  Mrs.  P.,"  said  he,   "  I  have  come  here  to  ask  your 
advice  ;  I  am  willing  to  do  anything  you  may  suggest.'* 

"  I  would  advise  you  at  once  to  kneel  down  here,  by 
his  altar,  and  begin  to  call  upon  God  to  have  mercy  on 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  27 


Motives  to  prayer.  The  cry.  Satan  resisted. 

your  soul.     God  is  a  God  near  at  hand,  and  not  afar  off, 
to  all  that  call  upon  him." 

The  infidel  objected,  and  pleaded  his  want  of  faith  in 
God ;  but  I  reminded  him  of  his  promise  to  take  my 
advice,  and  observed  that  blind  Bartimeus  would  prob- 
ably never  have  attracted  the  attentions  of  the  Savior, 
unless  he  had  called  after  him ;  and  never  was  any  one 
saved  without  being  very  humble  and  decided.  It  was 
not  a  small  thing  to  be  saved,  neither  was  it  at  a  small 
sacrifice  that  Christ  had  left  his  throne  in  heaven,  and 
lived  a  life  of  suffering  on  earth,  and  died  the  death  of 
the  cross  to  purchase  salvation  for  him. 

"  Well,  I  assure  you,  I  am  willing  to  do  any  thing 
that  you  say  will  be  helpful  to  me." 

"  Then  kneel  here  at  this  altar,  and  begin  to  cry,  O, 
Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me,  for  Christ's  sake !  " 

"  But  how  do  I  know  that  there  is  a  Christ  ? ' 

And  here,  again,  we  hushed  his  unbelieving  reason 
ings,  reminding  him  of  his  promise,  and   telling  him 
that  these   suggestions  were   not  from   himself,   as   he 
imagined,  but   directly  from   Satan ;   and,  if  he  would 
resist  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  Satan  would  fly. 

But  a  few  moments  succeeded,  and  the  infidel  was 
on  his  knees,  uttering  the  words,  "  O,  Lord,  have  mercy 
upon  me,  for  Christ's  sake  !  "  And  still  he  repeated 
them. 

Who  can  depict  the  interest  of  this  moment,  as  this 
intelligent  and  well-known  sceptic  humbly  knelt  at  the 
altar  of  prayer,  in  the  presence  of  his  Christian  friends 
and  neighbors, — in  whom,  through  a  distorted  spiritual 


28  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

"  Our  brother."  The  assurance.  A  surprising  announcement. 

vision,  he  had  only  seen  numerous  and  greatly  magnified 
infirmities !  But,  now,  they  beheld  him  praying.  And 
many  were  the  earnest  and  tearful  responses  as  this  affec- 
tionate band  of  Christian  brethren,  one  after  another, 
united  in  supplication  in  his  behalf,  and  said,  "  Lord,  for 
Christ's  sake,  have  mercy  upon  this,  our  friend,  —  our 
brother!  "  O,  indeed,  who  can  conceive  of  any  thing  that 
equals  the  sweetly  affectionate,  forgiving  spirit  of  our  holy 
Christianity  ?  The  scene  was  affecting.  We  could  not 
doubt  but  it  was  the  Spirit  itself,  helping  our  infirmi- 
ties, as  we  lingered  there,  amid  the  eager  scores  who 
were  waiting  the  issue.  I  was  so  convinced  that  the 
Lord  had  taken  his  own  work  in  hand,  that  I  turned  to 
the  sceptic,  as  we  rose  from  our  knees,  and  said, — 

«  My  friend — my  brother — God  will  help  you,  and 
that  right  early.  I  feel,  in  my  heart,  that  there  is  hope 
in  your  case.  God  is  not  only  the  Hearer,  but  the  In- 
spirer,  of  prayer  ;  and  such  prayers  as  have  been  pre- 
sented in  your  behalf  could  only  have  been  inspired  by 
God.  And  now  I  know  there  is  hope  in  your  case. 
Yes,  God  will  help  you ;  I  know  he  will." 

"  If  there  is  hope  in  my  case,  —  if  I  am  ever  saved, 
— It  will  be  through  what  you  said,  here  in  this  church, 
this  morning." 

I  must  confess  my  surprise.  Though  I  had  trusted 
in  the  Lord  for  a  word  in  season  to  all,  yet,  to  have 
found  an  acknowledged  infidel,  who,  through  the  pre- 
sentation of  the  way  of  holiness  as  a  doctrine  of  the 
Bible,  and  the  only  way  leading  from  earth  to  heaven 
cast  up  for  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  to  walk  in, — that 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  £9 


The  infidel  converted.  "  lie  maketh  the  face  to  shine. 


such  an  one  should  be  shaken  in  his  infidelity,  exceeded 
my  anticipations. 

We  were  to  leave  the  next  morning  ;  but,  before 
daylight,  the  infidel  called  on  us,  looking  pale,  and  evi- 
dently much  excited.  Before  leaving,  he  promised  that 
he  would  never  cease  praying  till  the  Lord  had  mercy 
on  his  soul.  A  letter,  received  to-day,  informs  us  that, 
the  third  day  subsequent  to  our  departure,  he  was  pow- 
erfully converted  to  God.  The  minister  speaks  of  his 
conversion  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  he  ever  wit- 
nessed. 


>^»». 


%  S*althg  djmmtemmr^ 


Have  you  a  healthy  countenance  ?  Does  your  face, 
that  divinely  constructed  index  of  the  human  soul,  speak 
to  the  beholder  of  the  pleasures  of  salvation — the  joy  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Do  not  think  me  officious  in  pressing 
this  question,  or  in  my  more  minute  inquiries.  The 
heavenly  Healer  bids  me  ask  you.  He  has  a  balm  on 
hand  which  "  maketh  the  face  to  shine  "  in  the  image  of 
the  heavenly.  Yes,  shine  !  So  that,  though  the  lips  may 
not  possess  muscular  power  to  move,  and  the  tongue 
be  palsied  amid  the  physical  agonies  of  dissolving  nature, 
the  shining,  speaking  countenance  may  tell  of  joy 
unutterable,  and  full   of  glory.     Have  you  never  seen 

8* 


30  .      ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


Health  in  sickness.  Skill  of  the  Heavenly  Healer.  David  on  health. 

this  ?  I  have  ;  and,  from  vivid  sketches  in  memory, 
might  portray  countenances,  most  radiant  with  healthful 
beauty,  though,  at  the  same  time,  the  physical  frame 
was  variously  and  hopelessly  diseased.  Physical  disease, 
say  you,  I  might,  endure,  but  O,  these  many  and  varied 
mental  solicitudes  ! — How  can  I,  amid  these,  exhibit  a 
beaming,  healthful  countenance  ?  I  tell  you,  the  heav- 
enly Healer  can  meet  your  condition.  Your  case  may 
be  intricate,  but  it  would  indicate  a  sinful  distrust  in  his 
divine  skill,  should  you  yield  to  the  idea  that  the  pecu- 
liarities of  your  condition  may  not  be  readily  met. 
David  regarded  it  as  really  important  that  he  should 
have  a  healthy  countenance.  He  chided  his  soul  for  being 
disquieted  and  cast  down,  and  he  was  not  willing  his  soul 
should  remain  in  this  condition,  but  hastens  to  cheer  her, 
and  directs  her  attention  to  God,  the  infinite  Source  of 
bliss-inspiring  hope.  David's  eye  of  faith  was  fixed 
on  the  future.  And,  though  exercised  with  trials  which, 
for  the  present,  were  not  joyous,  he  was  not  willing  that 
his  soul  should  be  sad.  This,  he  knew,  would  disfigure 
his  countenance,  and  he  bids  his  heart  hope  in  God, 
"  Who,"  says  he,  "is  the  health  of  my  countenance." 

Then  David  cared  what  sort  of  a  countenance  he  pre- 
sented. And  are  you  sufficiently  careful  what  sort  of 
countenance  you  present?  When  you  looked  so  dis- 
quieted, careworn  and  sad,  how  did  you  present  the 
skill  of  the  Divine  Healer  ?  You  profess  to  have  come 
to  him,  and  to  have  committed  your  case  fully  to  him. 
It  is  his  will  that  his  saving  health  may  be  known  among 
ill  nations.     If  he  cause  his  face  to  shine  upon  you,  it 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  31 


The  reflector.  God  is  in  a  Christian.  The  life,  the  face  and  th^  shout. 

is  in  order  that  you  may  reflect  his  image ;  that  your 
face  may  shine  upon  others ;  that  gentle,  loving,  trust- 
ful, heart-cheering,  health- restoring  influences  may  ema- 
nate from  your  radiant,  healthful  countenance.  And 
why  not,  if  God  is  the  health  of  your  countenance  ? 
How  significant  the  expression,  "  Who  is  the  health  of 
my  countenance,  and  my  God  " !  If  we  behold,  in  every 
Christian,  a  habitation  for  God  through  the  Spirit, — 
if  it  is  God  working  in  us  to  will  and  to  do,  why  ought 
not  the  world  to  behold,  in  every  Christian,  a  counte- 
nance so  healthful,  and  radiant,  that  Christianity  may  be 
everywhere  commended  for  its  ability  to  make  its  pos- 
sessor happy  ? 


tmtmt 


%  pinner  (fymAtjkti  trg  tfa  $m\U  of  a  dpmsttan. 


I  have  known  H.  M ,  ever  since  I  was  a  child, 

and,  from  his  very  countenance,  conceived  the  idea  that 
there  was  something  very  happifying  in  the  enjoyment 
of  the  right  sort  of  religion.  His  religion  might  have 
been  too  obviously  engrossing  to  suit  the  taste  of  some. 
But  the  smile  of  heavenly  bliss  which  lighted  up  his 
face,  and  the  frequent  outbursting  of  his  heart — "  O, 
bless  the  Lord  " !  M  Precious  Savior  "  !  found  a  lodg- 
ment in  my  young   heart  which,  to  the  present  hour, 


32  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


Convicted  at  the  sight  of  a  Christian's  face and  converted 

is   telling   to   the  praise  of    the   Savior.      If  Christians 
cannot  be  happy,  who  can? 

I  have  known  more  than  one  convinced  of  sin  and 
brought  to  Christ  by  observing  the  happy  countenances 
of  Christians.  Here  is  one  who  is  now,  and  for  many 
years  has  been,  a  triumphant  believer.  When  a  child, 
she  was  beholding  the  smiling  countenance  of  a  minister. 
He  was  not  in  the  pulpit,  neither  was  he  speaking.  •  But 
he  was  filled  with  the  joy  of  the  Lord,  just  as  every 
Christian  ought  to  be.  It  was  "God,  who  was  the  health 
of  his  countenance,"  and,  through  his  shining  face,  the 
Holy  Spirit  spoke  to  the  young  heart  of  my  own  dear 
sister. 

"It  is  because  that  minister  enjoys  religion  that  he  is 
so  happy."  So  said  the  Holy  Spirit.  From  that  mo- 
ment, she  resolved  that  she  would  never  rest  until  she 
also  enjoyed  religion.  This  dear  child  afterwards  found 
that  her  heart  was  very  sinful.  She  saw  that  she  could 
not  enjoy  religion  until  she  was  saved  from  her  sins. 
Most  earnestly  did  she  cry  to  God  for  forgiveness.  The 
third  day  after,  she  was  so  powerfully  converted,  that  it 
seemed  as  if  her  newly-forgiven,  new-born  spirit,  would 
almost  have  left  its  clay  tenement.  As  Daniel,  in  the 
presence  of  the  angel,  she  swooned  away.  And  was  it 
surprising  ?  for  a  greater  than  Gabriel  had  come,  and 
had  said,  "A  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you." — 

"Thy  sins  are  forgiven,  accepted  thou  art, 
She  listened,  and  heaven  sprang  up  in  her  heart." 

O !  is  it  not  strange  that  Christians  are  not  generally 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  3-3 

Salvation  and  exhilaration.     The  Catholic  priest,  the  Protestant  family  and  the  Bible. 

more  happy?  Is  it  wonderful  that  Christians  should 
sometimes  manifest  happy  excitement  when  these  entran- 
cing changes  come  over  them  ?  Who  can  contemplate 
the  soul's  translation  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into 
the  kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son,  without  at  once  seeing 
that  such  a  change  must  produce  some  sort  of  exhilara- 
tion! Do  not,  my  friend,  be  afraid  of  happy  excite- 
ment. Few  persons,  in  these  days,  have  had  more  of 
such  excitement  than  David  and  Paul,  and  many  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testament  saints. 


■  *«»  * 


dffert  of  Christian  (^urtesg  and  a  iapjjg  <Jfarr\ 


My  friend  J.  was  educated  for  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest.  He  actually  believed  in  the  infallibility  of  "  the 
church  ; "  for  he  had  ever  been  taught  that  it  was  a  sin 
to  question,  and  it  was  on  this  principle  alone  that  he 
reconciled  all  its  strange  inconsistencies.  He  had  finished 
his  studies,  but,  before  entering  fully  upon  the  duties 
of  his  vocation  as  a  priest,  he  spent  a  few  weeks  in 
travelling.  He  paused  at  the  house  of  a  pious  Protes- 
tant family,  where  he  was  taken  ill,  and  detained  a  num- 
ber of  days.  Sad  and  lonely,  he  took  up  a  Protestant 
Bible,  which  lay  on  a  table  in  his  sick  room.  As  he 
read  of  the  new  birth,  in  the  third  chapter  of  John,  his 
mind  was  partially  arrested  with  the  thought  that  there 


34  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  Protestant  service        The  penitent.       Pardon.       The  newly  lighted  countenance 

might  be  something  more  in  spiritual  religion  than  he 
had  anticipated.  Pleasant  and  sympathizing  friends  of 
the  Protestant  community  began  to  gather  around  him, 
and  proffer  their  services.  As  he  grew  better,  and  was 
able  to  venture  out,  he  was  courteously  invited  to  attend 
Protestant  service,  and  such  had  been  the  manifestations 
of  Christian  kindness  on  the  part  of  his  newly  acquired 
friends,  that  he  did  not  feel  quite  free  to  refuse.  He 
went.  The  occasion  was  one  of  special  mercy.  The 
power  of  the  Lord  was  present  to  awaken  and  convert. 
Among  the  seekers  of  salvation,  was  a  gentleman  whose 
heart  was  deeply  smitten  with  sorrow  for  sin  ;  and,  from 
the  depths,  he  cried  unto  the  Lord.  Suddenly,  upon  an 
act  of  reliance  on  Christ,  his  burden  of  guilt  was  re- 
moved, and  Jesus  said,  "  Son,  be  of  good  cheer  ;  thy 
sins,  which  were  many,  are  all  forgiven  thee  ;  go  in 
peace,  and  sin  no  more." 

"  What  a  change  his  word  can  make, 
Turning  darkness  into  day  "  ! 

My  friend  had  been  closely  watching  the  countenance 
of  this  gentleman.  He  had  with  amazement  witnessed 
his  deep  anguish,  and  now,  to  his  still  greater  astonish- 
ment, he  saw  his  face  suddenly  lighting  up  with  heavenly 
illumination,  as  though  a  beam  from  the  throne  of  the 
Ineffable  had  penetrated  the  depths  of  his  being.  The 
Dove  of  Peace  had  come  to  that  heart.  The  angel  of 
the  covenant  was  now  telling  this  repentant  sinner  that 
his  name  was  written  in  heaven.  The  veriest  sceptic 
could  not  have  doubted  but  some  mysterious  change  was 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  35 


The  converted  priest attacked  nobody but  told  his  experience. 

being  wrought.  "  Surely,  there  is  some  secret  trans- 
forming power  in  grace  to  which  I  am  a  stranger," 
thought  our  friend.  From  that  moment,  he  resolved 
that  he  would,  for  himself,  know  the  verities  of  salva- 
tion. He  became  an  earnest,  humble  seeker.  It  was  but 
a  short  time  before  he  was  enabled  to  testify,  from  his  own 
experimental  realizations,  the  power  of  grace  to  change 
the  heart,  and  raise  to  newness  of  life.  Christ,  as  the 
only  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  now  revealed  him- 
self as  his  ever-interceding  Savior  in  such  sweetness, 
light  and  power,  that  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  all  other 
interceding  saints,  were  forever  put  in  the  shade.  The 
great  superstructure  of  error  which  had,  from  infancy, 
been  rearing  in  his  mind,  founded  on  the  infallibility  of 
"  the  church,"  now  tottered  and  fell,  and  utter  was  the 
destruction  thereof.  Out  of  the  abundance  of  his  heart 
he  began  to  declare  what  great  things  the  Lord  had  done 
for  him.  As  it  was  a  manifestation  of  Christian  cour- 
tesy, and  the  outbeamings  of  love,  as  depicted  in  the 
countenance  of  a  sinner  newly  saved,  that  had  won  his 
heart  over  to  Christ,  he  was  not  now  required  to  use 
other  weapons  than  those  furnished  out  of  the  armoiy 
of  love.  He  did  not  feel  called  to  attack  his  friends  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  But  he  did  feel  called 
to  present  the  truth,  and  to  proclaim  his  own  heart-expe- 
riences of  the  power  of  saving  grace.  These  things  soon 
became  noised  abroad  in  the  Catholic  community,  and  he 
was  publicly  denounced  from  their  pulpits.  It  was 
deemed  important  that  he  should  defend  himself  and  the 
truth.     Protestant  pulpits  were  offered  for  this  purpo??. 


36  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

A  trophy.  The  grave  of  Wesley.  His  writings 

His  weapons  were  love,  and  the  Lord  gave  him  good 
success  ;  and,  to  this  day,  he  continues  to  be  a  faithful 
minister  of  the  cross,  a  trophy  won  to  Christ,  by  a 
manifestation  of  Christian  courtesy,  and  the  happy  face 
of  a  Christian. 


>■!»' 


§J!u{  Did  Sandmarte. 


WESLEY  SPEAKING  FOR  HIMSELF. 

Reader  !  how  would  it  strike  you  were  I  to  take  you 
just  now  to  a  newly  opened  grave,  to  hold  converse  with 
an  exhumed  tenant  of  the  tomb  ?  Over  fifty  years  has 
the  spirit  of  that  tenantless  body  been  in  the  spirit-world, 
and  now  it  comes  to  commune  with  thee.  But  I  will  not 
detain  you  with  a  grave  scene.  The  opened  grave  and 
the  exhumed  body  may  indeed  awe  your  spirit.  But, 
though  it  were  in  our  power  to  introduce  you  actually  to 
such  scenes,  the  perturbation  of  your  mind  might  pre- 
clude that  calm,  solemn  attention  which  wre  would  now 
invite  to  a  message  from  one  who,  being  dead,  yet 
speaketh  ;  our  God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of 
the  living.  We  will  call  you  to  listen  to  the  spirit-tones 
of  one  whose  unexhumed  body  still  rests  in  the  peace- 
ful tomb,  but  whose  sainted  spirit  still  communes  with 
thee,  through  his  writings.  As  a  child  of  Methodism, 
we  ask  you  to  listen  to  important  truths  from  him  who 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  37 

■ 

The  cardinal  doctrine.  The  question.  "Wesley's  answer. 


under  God,  was  the  founder  of  Methodism.  You  cannot 
consistently  fail  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  relation  to  the 
Bible  doctrine  of  Christian  holiness.  It  was  to  spread 
this  that  the  Wesleys  were  thrust  out.  And  it  is  to 
secure  your  harmony  with  Mr.  Wesley  on  this  cardinal 
doctrine  of  Methodism,  that  we  have  introduced  this 
article. 

WHEN  ARE  WE  TO  BELIEVE  OURSELVES  WHOLLY  SANCTIFIED ! 

Do  you  ask,  with  a  recent  writer,  "  Does  God  require 
me  to  believe  he  sanctifies  me  wholly  at  some  particular 
time,  and  promise  that,  when  I  so  believe,  he  will  do  it  ? 
If  so,  where  in  the  Bible  is  that  requisition  made  ?  " 
Hear  the  answer  from  Mr.  Wesley  :  — 

"  But  what  is  that  faith  by  which  we  are  sanctified, 
saved  from  sin,  and  perfected  in  love  ?  .  .  .  .  It  is  a 
divine  evidence  and  conviction  that  he  is  able  to  do  it 
now.  And  why  not  ?  Is  not  a  moment  to  him  the  same 
as  a  thousand  years  ?  He  cannot  want  more  time  to 
accomplish  what  is  his  will.  And  he  cannot  want,  or  stay 
for,  any  more  worthiness  or  fitness  in  the  persons  he  is 
pleased  to  honor.  We  may  therefore  boldly  say,  at  any 
point,  'Now  is  the  day  of  salvation.'  'To-day,  if  ye 
will  hear  his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts.'  'Behold, 
all  things  are  now  ready,  come  unto  the  marriage.' 

"  To  this  confidence,  that  God  is  both  able  and  willing 
to  sanctify  us  now,  there  needs  to  be  added  yet  one  thing 
more,  a  divine  evidence  and  conviction  that  he  doeth  it. 
In  that  hour,  it  is  done.  God  says  to  the  inmost  soul, 
1  According  to  thy  faith  be  it  done  unto  thee.'     Then  the 

4 


38  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  mischievous  opinion         Sanctification  after  justification.        How  long  ? 

soul  is  pure  from  every  spot  of  sin ;  it  is  clean  from  all 

unrighteousness." 

ATtE  CONVERSION  AND  ENTIRE  SANCTIEICATION  SIMULTANEOUS ! 

Do  you  ask  whether  the  work  of  regeneration  and  the 
work  of  entire  sanctification  are  not  simultaneously 
wrought  in  the  heart  ?  Mr.  "Wesley  will  answer  in  his 
sermon  on  the   "  Scripture  Way  of  Salvation." 

"  Hence  may  appear  the  extreme  mischievousness  of 
the  seemingly  innocent  opinion,  that  there  is  no  sin  in  a 
believer ;  that  all  sin  is  destroyed,  root  and  branch,  the 
moment  a  man  is  justified."  Also,  Vol.  i.  p.  405 : 
"The  new  birth  is  not  the  same  with  sanctification.  .  .  . 
This  is  a  part  of  sanctification,  not  the  whole ;  it  is  the 
gate  to  it,  the  entrance  into  it."  Again,  he  says,  Vol. 
iii.  p.  154 :  "  He  differs  from  some  of  the  clergy  of  the 
Church  of  England,  because  '  they  speak  of  justification 
either  as  the  same  thing  with  sanctification,  or  as  some- 
thing consequent  upon  it.'  I  believe  justification  to  be 
wholly  distinct  from  sanctification,  and  necessarily  ante- 
cedent to  it." 

HOW  SOON  MAY  ENTIRE  SANCTIFICATION  SUCCEED  CONVERSION] 

Do  you,  then,  on  being  assured  that  you  are  not 
wholly  sanctified  at  the  moment  of  conversion,  ask  how 
soon  you  may  expect  to  have  that  work  wrought?  Mr. 
Wesley  answers : 

"  Now,  with  God,  one  day  is  as  a  thousand  years.  It 
plainly  follows  that  the  quantity  of  time  is  nothing 
to  him.     Centuries,    years,  months,  days,    hours,    and 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  39 


Forty  witnesses.  Six  hundred  and  fifty-two  witnesses  in  London. 


moments  are  exactly  the  same.  Consequently,  he  can 
as  well  sanctify  in  a  Jay  after  we  are  justified  as  in  a  hun- 
dred years.  Accordingly,  we  see  in  fact  there  is  no  dif- 
ference, that  some  of  the  most  unquestionable  witnesses 
of  sanctifying  grace  were  sanctified  within  a  few  days 
after  they  were  justified."  He,  as  was  his  custom,  illus- 
trates his  views  by  various  experiences,  and  says :  "  I 
spoke  to  these,  forty  in  all,  one  by  one.  Some  of  these 
said  they  received  the  blessing  ten  days,  some  seven, 
some  four,  some  three  days,  after  they  found  peace  with 
God,  and  two  of  them  the  next  day.  What  marvel,  since 
one  day  with  God  is  as  a  thousand  years  ?  " 

MAY  HOLINESS  OF  HEART  BE  RECEIVED  BY  ONE  ACT  OF  FAITH] 
Do    you    say    that    you    cannot    conceive    how   the 
soul  can  be  wholly  sanctified  instantaneously,  and    by 
one  act  of  faith?     Hear  Mr.  Wesley's    views    on    the 
subject : 

"Not  trusting  to  the  testimony  of  others,  I  carefully 
examined  the  most  of  these  myself,  and,  in  London 
alone,  found  six  hundred  and  fifty-two  members  of  our 
society  who  were  exceeding  clear  in  their  experience, 
and  of  whose  testimony  I  could  see  no  reason  to  doubt  ; 
....  and  every  one  of  these,  after  most  careful  in- 
quiry, I  have  not  found  one  exception,  either  in  Great 
Britain  or  Ireland,  but  had  declared  that  his  deliverance 
from  sin  was  instantaneous  ;  that  the  change  was  wrought 
in  a  moment."  .  .  In  the  same  connection  he  goes  on 
to  say,  "What  shall  we  do  that  this  work  may  be 
wrought  in  us  ?     Believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 


40  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Faith.  What  about  profession  ?  Advice  to  Miss  B. 

all  his  wisdom,  and  power,  and  faithfulness  are  engaged 
on  thy  side.  In  this,  as  in  all  other  instances,  by  grace 
we  are  saved,  through  faith.  Sanctification  is  not  of 
works,  lest  any  man  should  boast.  It  is  the  gift  of  God, 
and  is  to  be  received  by  plain,  simple  faith." 

MUST  THIS  BLESSING  BE  PROFESSED  IN  ORDER  TO  BE  RETAINED? 

But  is  it  important,  after  receiving  this  blessing,  that  I 
profess  it  in  scriptural  terms,  and  is  this  profession  par- 
ticularly helpful,  in  Mr.  Wesley's  opinion,  toward 
retaining  it  ?  Here  let  Mr.  Wesley  give  his  own 
testimony ;  and  we  will  also  permit  the  sainted  Fletcher, 
who  also,  being  dead,  yet  speaketh,  to  unite  in  the  tes- 
timony : 

"  One  great  means  of  retaining  it  is,  frankly  to 
declare  what  God  has  given  you,  and  earnestly  to 
exhort  all  believers  you  meet  with  to  follow  after  full 
salvation."  "  I  doubt  we  are  not  explicit  enough, 
in  speaking  on  full  salvation,  either  in  public  or  in 
private." 

In  his  letters  to  Miss  B.,  who  had  just  received  the 
blessing  of  entire  sanctification,  Vol.  vii.  p.  103,  he  ad- 
vises her  to  profess  it,  and  says  : 

"  Undoubtedly,  it  will  be  a  cross  to  declare  what  God 
has  done  for  your  soul,  nay,  and  afterwards  Satan  will 
accuse  you  on  the  account,  telling  you  you  did  it  out  of 
pride  ;  yea,  and  some  of  your  sisters  would  blame  you, 
and  perhaps  put  the  same  construction  on  it."  In  Vol 
vii.  p.  13,  he  says  :  "  I  buried  the  remains  of  Joseph 
Norbury,  a  faithful  witness  for  Jesus  Christ.     For  about 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  41 

Wesley's  fears.  Fletcher's  testimony.  Satan's  bait. 

three  years  he  has  humbly  and  boldly  testified  that  God 
had  saved  him  from  all  sin."  Again  he  says  :  "  I  am 
afraid  Christian  perfection  will  be  forgotten.  Encourage 
Richard  Blackwell  and  M.  Coolley  to  speak  plainly.  A 
general  faintness  in  this  respect  has  fallen  on  the  whole 
kingdom.  Sometimes  I  seem  almost  weary  of  striving 
against  the  stream  of  both  preachers  and  people." 

Mr.  Fletcher,  after  giving  in  a  strong  and  explicit 
testimony  of  his  personal  realizations  of  the  power  of 
Christ  to  save  from  all  sin,  says : 

"  Yes,  I  rejoice  to  declare  it  and  bear  witness  to  the 
glory  of  grace,  that  I  am  dead  indeed  unto  sin,  and  alive 
unto  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  received 
this  blessing  four  or  five  times  before,  but  I  lost  it,  by 
not  observing  the  order  of  God,  who  has  told  us,  i  With 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness,  and  with . 
the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation.'  But  the 
enemy  offered  his  bait  under  various  colors,  to  keep 
me  from  a  public  declaration." 

He  then  goes  on  at  length  to  specify  what  sort  of  bait 
Satan  used  to  keep  him  from  an  open,  explicit  declara- 
tion of  entire  sanctification  ;  the  baits  are  much  the  same 
as  have  been  publicly  urged  recently,  and  made  the 
occasion  of  many  losing  the  blessing,  but  we  will  not 
now  take  time  to  specify.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that,  after  he 
had  received  the  blessing  the  fifth  time,  and  had  learned 
this  wile  of  the  devil,  we  hear  no  more  of  his  being 
beguiled,  sv  these  satanic  sophistries,  into  the  loss  of  the 
blessing ;  and  we  have  reason  to  believe  he  maintained 
a  steady  public  profession  to  the  last. 


4* 


42  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Certain  societies  did  not  prosper.  Why?  Letter  to  Adam  Clarke. 

Mr.  Wesley,  on  p.  459,  Vol.  iv  of  his  Journal,  speaks 
with  regret  of  the  fact,  that  Methodism  in  certain  quar- 
ters had  gained  no  ground,  and  then  gives,  as  a  reason : 

1 '  The  preachers  had  given  up  the  Methodist  testi- 
mony. Either  they  did  not  speak  of  perfection  at  all, 
(the  peculiar  doctrine  committed  to  our  trust,)  or  they 
spoke  of  it  only  in  general  terms,  without  urging 
believers  to  go  on  unto  perfection,  and  to  expect  it  every 
moment.  And  where  this  is  not  earnestly  done,  the 
work  of  God  does  not  prosper."  "  I  examined  the 
society,  and  was  surprised  to  find  fifty  members  fewer  in 
it  than  I  left  in  it  last  October.  One  reason  is,  Christian 
perfection  has  been  little  insisted  on ;  and,  where  this  is 
not  done,  be  the  preachers  ever  so  eloquent,  there  is 
but  little  increase,  either  in  the  number  or  grace  of  the 
hearers." — Vol.  iv,  p.  120.  "Perceiving  that  they  had 
suffered  much  by  not  having  the  doctrine  of  perfection 
clearly  explained  and  strongly  enforced,  I  preached  ex- 
pressly on  that  head." — Vol.  iv,  p.  557. 

We  have  a  letter  before  us  written  but  one  year  before 
Mr.  Wesley's  decease,  bearing  directly  on  these  subjects. 
It  is  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  and  reads  thus : 

«  London,  Nov.  26th,  1790. 
"  Deak  Adam. — The  account  you  send  me  of  the  continuance  of  tht 
great  work  of  God  in  Jersey  gives  me  great  satisfaction.  To  retain 
the  grace  of  God  is  much  more  than  to  gain  it ;  hardly  one  in  three 
does  this.  And  this  should  be  strongly  and  explicitly  urged  on  all 
who  have  tasted  of  perfect  love.  If  you  can  prove  that  any  of  our 
pi  eachers  or  leaders,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  speak  against  it,  let 
him  be  a  preacher  or  leader  no  longer.  I  doubt  whether  he  should 
continue  in  the  society.  Because  he  that  could  speak  thus  in  cur  con- 
gregations cannot  be  an  honest  man. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION. 


45 


A  glorious  witness.     "  The  sweetest  thing. 


No  favoritism  with  God. 


I  wish  Sister  Clarke  to  do  what  she  can,  but  no  more  than  she  can. 
Betsy  Ritchie,  Mrs.  Johnson  and  M.  Clarke  are  women  after  my 
own  heart.  Last  week,  I  had  an  excellent  letter  from  Mrs.  Pawson, 
(a  glorious  witness  of  full  salvation,)  showing  how  impossible  it  is  to 
retain  pure  love  without  growing  therein." — Vol.  vii,  p.  206. 


»  mtm  » 


"  ®fo  Stawtet  ®{mtjj  |  mtt  UU  fijni." 


Sweeter  also  than  honey  and  the  honeycomh.—  David. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  one  of  the  sweetest  things  I  .ver 
told  yon  in  all  my  life.  Jesus  has  washed  my  he?*  t  in 
his  own  most  precious  blood,  and  he  has  beautified  it, 
and  he  has  come  and  brought  his  Father  witn  him  to 
abide  with  me  !  "  So  said  a  lovely  Christian,  whose 
very  countenance  seemed  to  bespeak  the  indwelling  of 
the  Holy  Trinity. 

What  a  glorious  experience  !  And  yet  not  more 
glorious  than  is  guaranteed  by  the  will  of  our  Father  to 
every  one  of  his  children.  Our  Father  has  no  favor- 
ites ;  his  will  runs  alike  to  all.  The  sweet  experience 
of  the  lovely  Christian  just  referred  to  will  surely  be 
desired  by  all  who  read  these  lines.  Then  why  not 
claim  it  ?  It  is  embraced  in  the  will  of  your  Father, 
precious  child  of  Jesus !  Open  the  will  of  your  Father 
just  now.  Read  John  xiv.  £3  :  "  If  a  man  love  me,  he 
will  keep  my  words ;  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and 


%A  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  heirs  and  the  will.  Holiness  in  the  children  honors  the  Father. 

we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 
Here  is  the  experience  of  this  beloved  child  of  God,  to 
which  you  have  just  listened,  made  sure  to  you.  Are 
you  not  complying  with  the  conditions,  "  If  a  man  love 
me,"  &c.  ?  Surely,  you  will  now  claim  this  glorious 
portion  of  your  inheritance.  When  an  earthly  father 
leaves  a  will,  specifying  the  inheritance  which,  at  a  vast 
expenditure  of  toil  and  self-sacrifice,  he  has  made  avail- 
able for  his  children,  how  eagerly  each  one  gathers 
around  to  ascertain  distinctly  what  his  portion  of  the 
inheritance  may  be !  And  why  should  not  every  child 
of  God,  with  far  greater  eagerness,  search  diligently  to 
know  distinctly  his  portion  of  the  inheritance  ?  Would 
not  the  name  of  an  earthly  parent  be  dishonored,  if, 
after  an  inheritance  calculated  to  show  his  great  love  to 
his  children  had  been  purchased,  his  children,  through 
negligence,  should  leave  their  rights  unclaimed,  and 
live  in  penury  ?  So  do  you  not  only  wrong  yourself, 
but  you  dishonor  the  worthy  name  by  which  you  are 
called,  if  you  do  not,  with  becoming  eagerness  and  de- 
cision, resolve  on  claiming,  at  once,  the  inheritance  pur- 
chased for  you  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.  When  you 
search  the  Scriptures,  search  them  as  the  records  of 
your  Father's  will ;  and  remember  that  not  only  is  your 
Father  willing  that  you  should  claim  your  portion  of 
the  inheritance,  but  his  honor  as  your  Father  stands 
connected  with  your  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  these 
purchased  privileges.  Can  you,  to  the  praise  of  Jesus, 
and  in  honor  of  your  Father  in  heaven,  say,  "  Jesus 
hath  washed  my  heart  in  his  own  most  precious  blood, 


.     ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  45 


His  blood.  The  gift  and  the  altar.  Imperfect  sacrifices. 

and  has  beautified  it,  and  has   brought  his   Father  with 
him  to  abide  with  me  "  ? 

"  His  blood  demands  the  purchased  grace  ; 
His  blood's  availing  plea 
Obtained  the  help  for  all  our  race, 
And  sends  it  down  to  me." 


»m*m* 


Ojjmt  J  Mum  vxgulf  £anr iip&  tojfow  J  am  so. 


God's  service  is  a  reasonable  service,  and  such  a 
requisition  would  be  unreasonable  and  unscriptural. 
The  Jews,  under  the  old  dispensation,  were  not  required 
to  believe  that  their  offerings  were  sanctified  before  they 
were  laid  upon  the  altar.  It  was  by  virtue  of  the  altar 
upon  which  their  offerings  were  laid  that  they  were 
sanctified.  "  Whatsoever  toucheth  the  altar  shall  be 
holy."  How,  then,  could  they  believe  their  offerings 
were  holy  before  they  touched  the  altar?  Neither 
could  they  believe  their  offerings  acceptable  unless  they 
brought  such  as  were  perfect,  and  without  blemish,  as 
required  by  the  law.  Witness  those  Jews  who,  in  the 
days  of  the  prophet  Malachi,  brought  the  lame,  the 
blind,  the  torn  and  sick  for  sacrifice.  Could  they  be- 
lieve that  God  would  accept  their  imperfect  sacrifices  \ 
God  had  said  he  would  not,  and  how  could  they  believe 
that  he  would?     They   lingered   long,  and   desired  it 


46  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Consecration  must  precede  faith.  The  Christian's  altar. 

much,  wearying  the  Lord,  and  covering  his  altar  with 
tears ;  but  their  efforts  were  all  worse  than  useless ;  they 
could  not  believe  God  would  accept  their  imperfect 
sacrifices,  for  he  had  said  he  would  not,  and  he  cannot 
deny  himself. 

The  difficulties  with  many  offerers  who  come  to  the 
Chistian  altar  may  be  thus  solved.  They  are  told  that 
the  blessing  of  entire  sanctification  is  received  by 
faith,  but  are  not  duly  observant  of  the  fact  that  an 
entire  setting  apart  of  all  for  God  must  necessarily 
precede  faith.  They  try  to  believe  before  the  offer- 
ing is  laid  on  the  altar.  How  inconsistent  and  worse 
than  futile  are  such  efforts  !  Christ  alone  can  make  us 
whole.  As  many  as  touched  him  belie vingly  in  the 
days  of  his  incarnation  were  made  perfectly  whole. 
"  We  have  an  altar."  This  altar  is  Christ.  His  blood 
is  the  purifying  medium.  He  says,  "  For  their  sakes  I 
sanctify  myself,  that  they  may  be  sanctified  through  the 
truth ;  "  as  though  he  had  said,  For  their  sakes  I  set  my- 
self apart  to  endure  the  agonies  of  Gethsemane,  and  to 
bleed  and  expire  on  the  cross,  that  they,  through  faith 
in  my  purifying  blood,  may  be  sanctified.  And  now 
Christ  waits  to  receive  the  offerings  of  his  people.  Offer- 
ings presented  to  God  through  Christ  are  "  holy,  accept- 
able." So  great  virtue  is  there  in  Jesus,  our  atoning 
sacrifice,  that  as  many  as  touch  him  believingly  are 
made  whole  of  whatever  diseases  they  have.  Of  the  Chris- 
tian's altar,  it  may  ever  be  said,  "  whatsoever  toucheth 
the  altar  shall  be  holy."  We  think  few  find  it  diffi- 
cult to  believe  after  the  sacrifice  is  bound  to  the  altar, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  47 

Reasons  why  so  few  are  entirely  sanctified. 

even  with  cords  to  the  horns  of  the  altar.  Christ  then 
becomes  our  light  and  our  salvation.  Faith  is  wonder- 
fully simple.  The  difficulties  mainly  come  by  trying  to 
believe  the  offering  is  "  holy,  acceptable,"  before  it  is 
laid  upon  the  Christian's  altar.  Many,  as  the  Jews  in 
the  days  of  Malachi,  are  not  willing  to  bring  that  which 
is  without  blemish.  They  sin  after  the  similitude  of 
those  covetous  Jews,  and  bring  the  lame,  the  blind,  the 
torn  and  sick  for  sacrifice.  How  few  are  willing  to  go 
without  the  camp,  bearing  the  reproach  of  the  pro- 
fession of  this  grace  !  How  few  are  willing  to  be  of  no 
reputation  for  him  who  made  himself  of  no  reputation 
for  us  !  How  few  are,  in  all  respects,  willing  to  com 
ply  with  the  conditions  upon  which  entire  sanctification 
is  promised,  and  how  few,  consequently,  are  enabled 
to  believe  for  the  blessing  !  Alas  !  how  utterly  impos- 
sible is  it  to  believe  while  we  love  the  praise  of  men 
more  than  the  praise  of  God !  "  How  can  ye  believe 
who  receive  honor  one  of  another,  and  seek  not  the 
honor  that  cometh  from  God  only  ?  " 


<<i» 


mints  of  A«  SWtt. 


The  apostle  speaks  of  "the  unity  of  the  spirit." 
Holiness  gives  that  unity.  When  we  enter  within  the 
vail,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant  *ve 
meet  on  the  ground  where :  — 


48  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Natural  and  spiritual  ties.  Religion  and  action. 

"  Names,  and  sects,  and  parties  fall, 
And  Christ  alone  is  all  in  all."  ' 

Yes,  you  are  my  sister  in  Christ.  We  have  been 
begotten  together  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus.  One  says, 
"  Spiritual  relationships  are  often  stronger  than  those  of 
nature."  And  why  should  they  not  be  ?  for  natural  ties, 
apart  from  religious  influences,  have  their  origin  and 
end  in  the  present  state  ;  whereas  spiritual  relationships 
have  their  origin  in  the  Eternal  God,  the  Infinite 
Source  of  life  and  happiness,  and  must,  if  rightly  cher- 
ished, endure  as  long  as  God  himself  endures.  "  If 
we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we  have 
fellowship  one  with  another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ,  his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  "  That 
they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one."  How  close  is  the 
connection  between  the  Father  and  the  Son !  and  what  an 
indescribable  oneness  of  spirit  should  exist  among 
Christ's  disciples! 


tm$m* 


SUIijjirm  an  ntim  Mna$l§. 


As  far  as  I  am  acquainted  with  your  views  of  holiness, 
they  are  sweetly  in  harmdhy  with  my  perceptions  of  that 
state.  It  is  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man,  and  is,  of 
course,  an  active  principle.  The  religion  of  the  Bible  is 
not  mere  sentimentalism,  or  quietism      The  purposes  of 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  49 

Zeal.  Belief  of  an  untruth.  "  God  is  light." 

our  redemption  remain  unanswered  unless  we  are  unto 
God  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works.  "  My 
goodness,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "extendeth  not  unto  thee." 
No ;  our  benevolent  efforts,  and  our  wisely  directed 
zeal,  must  extend  to  those  objects  on  which  the  sympa- 
thies of  the  Savior  were  expended, — for  whom  he  made 
himself  of  no  reputation, — to  whom  he  ministered  in 
the  form  of  a  servant,  and  for  whom  he  became  obedient 
unto  death. 


I  ■!>  I 


§omt  io  tfa  rtJght  print,  m&  tton  %i8m. 


Yes,  the  way  of  holiness  is  entered  by  faith.  But 
your  error  is  here.  You  have  been  perplexing  yourself 
about  the  doctrine  of  faith  before  you  have  any  right  to 
exercise  the  faith  which  brings  you  into  the  enjoyment 
of  the  blessing.  The  Spirit  only  can  take  of  the  things 
of  God,  and  reveal  them  to  us.  And  what  right  have 
you  to  expect  the  Spirit's  aid  in  helping  you  to  beleive, 
until  you  make  the  necessary  sacrifices  ?  I  know  you 
would  not  be  willing  to  believe  an  untruth  ;  but  you 
would  believe  an  untruth  if  you  believed  God  accepted 
you  wholly,  unless  you  gave  yourself  wholly  to  him. 
"  God  is  light,  and  in  him  is  no  darkness  at  all."  He 
dways  draws  nigh  unto  us,  (bringing  light  and  salvation 
with  him,)  to  the  degree  we  draw  nigh  unto  him 

Let  me  illustrate. 


50  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Pleadings  but  no  surrender.  Light  may  become  darkness. 

I  saw  a  professor  much,  conformed  to  the  spirit  of  the 
world. 

"  Why  do  you  not  get  the  blessing  of  holiness  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  I   do  not  know/'  she  replied,  "  unless  it  be  that  it 
is  so  difficult  for  me  to  exercise  faith." 

I  had  conversed  with  this  person  months  before,  on 
an  occasion  when  she  was  weeping  and  pleading  before 
God  for  the  grace  of  entire  sanctification.  Said  I,  as  I 
witnessed  her  importunate  pleadings,  "  Are  you  willing 
to  comply  with  the  conditions  upon  which  God  promises 
the  blessing  ?  Are  you  now  intending  to  give  up  con- 
formity to  the  world,  resolved  to  come  out,  and  be 
separate  ?  "  She  answered  only  with  tears  and  groans. 
I  affectionately  expostulated,  and  urged  the  necessity 
of  making  the  surrender  now,  while  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
enlightening  her  mind.  She  hesitated,  and,  though  she 
greatly  desired  that  God  would  accept  her  sacrifice,  yet 
she  felt  that  she  could  not  bring  her  mind  to  comply 
with  the  conditions,  and  give  up  all.  Finding  that  my 
prayerful  entreaties  were  ineffectual,  I  faithfully  laid  the 
consequences  before  her  thus :  "  You  are  dependent  on 
the  Holy  Spirit  for  the  light  you  have  in  regard  to  the 
duty  of  present  holiness.  If  you  do  not,  as  a  worker 
together  with  God,  use  this  light,  by  obeying  it,  you 
will  lose  it,  and  then,  though  you  had  worlds  to  offer  in 
an  attempt  to  purchase  it  back,  it  were  in  vain.  Light 
resisted  on  any  given  point  becomes  darkness,  and 
then  how  great  is  that  darkness !  Your  darkness  will 
be  such,  that  you  will  doubtless  sincerely  think  your 


ECONOMY       OF      SALVATION.  51 


Delusion.  "  Why  are  you  not  holy  ?  " 


self  to  be  in  the  way  to  heaven,  though  not  in  the  way 
of  holiness.  You  will  think  this  because,  if  you  will 
not  believe,  and  obey  the  truth,  God  will  give  you 
over  to  delusion,  and  you  will  believe  a  lie.  You 
will  think  yourself  as  safe  as  professors  in  general,  and 
you  will  doubtless  die  in  the  same  light  in  which  you 
live,  as  the  mass  of  professors  do.  There  is  nothing 
enlightening  in  death ;  it  only  unclothes  the  spirit. 
You  will  then  stand  at  the  door  of  heaven,  and,  among 
the  "  many"  in  that  day,  will  say,  a  Lord,  Lord,  open 
unto  us,"  and  he  shall  answer,  "  I  know  you  not,  whence 
ye  are."  Then  shall  ye  begin  to  say,  "  We  have  eaten 
and  drunk  in  thy  presence,  and  thou  hast  taught  in  our 
streets."  But  he  shall  say,  "  I  know  ye  not,  whence  ye 
are."  This  professor  did  not  comply  with  the  only 
condition  upon  which  God  had  promised  to  make  her 
holy.  We  parted,  and  now  as  I  was  saying,  after  the 
lapse  of  a  few  months  again  we  met.  Now,  on  my 
beseechingly  saying,  "  Why  are  you  not  holy  ? "  she 
replies,  "  O,  I  suppose  it  is  because  it  is  so  difficult  for 
me  to  exercise  faith." 


"  Jf  tannnt  m  into  tttis  Wn%" 

"I  cannot  see  into  this  way  of  holiness.  I  have 
wished  to  know  more  about  it,  and  I  thought  I  would  ask 
you."     So  said  a  young  and  amiable  looking  lady,  who, 


52  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


"  Do  you  use  all  your  light?  "  "  Ah,  that  is  the  thought." 

from  her  exterior,  one  might  judge,  had  yet  to  learn  that 
the  friendship  of  the  world  is  enmity  with  God. 

"  Do  you,  in  regard  to  getting  into  this  way,  use  all 
the  light  you  already  have  ?  Have  you  been  doing  the 
will  of  God  as  far  as  you  have  known  it  ?  " 

"  I  fear  I  have  not." 

"  There  is  no  duty  set  forth  more  clearly  in  the  Bible 
than  that  of  entire  consecration.  '  Ye  are  not  your  own, 
ye  are  bought  with  a  price  ;  therefore,  glorify  God  in 
your  body  and  spirit,  which  are  God's.'  Here,  in  most 
explicit  terms,  you  see  the  claim  that  your  Redeemer 
now  has,  and  ever  has  had,  on  the  entire  service  of  your 
soul,  body,  and  spirit.  You  do  not  need  any  more  light 
in  order  to  ascertain  the  duty  of  an  immediate  and  entire 
surrender  of  your  whole  being  to  God.  Have  you  made 
this  surrender  ? " 

With  tearful  eyes  she  exclaimed,  "  Ah,  that  is  the 
thought  that  is  ever  suggested,  when  I  ask  for  more 
light !  I  know  I  ought  to  lay  all  upon  the  altar 
of  God  ;  but  I  have  not  yet  presented  the  sacrifice." 

"  Then,  of  course,  you  have  no  right  to  expect  to 
know  of  the  doctrine  of  entire  holiness.  God  has  said, 
if  any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doc- 
trine ;  but,  until  you  come  to  the  point  to  do  his  will, 
you  cannot  know.  Mark  this.  It  is  one  thing  to  intend, 
or  to  be  willing,  to  do  a  given  act ;  and  it  is  quite  another 
thing  actually  to  do  it.  Thus,  under  the  Jewish  dispen- 
sation, a  person  might  see  the  duty  of  presenting  his 
offering  according  to  God's  requirement ;  he  might 
intend  to  be  obedient,  or  he  might  even  be  willing  to  do 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  53 


"  Do  as  well  as  you  know."  Holiness  and  the  missionary  work. 

it.  But,  unless  the  offering  was  actually  laid  upon  the 
altar,  it  was  not  made  holy.  For  it  was  only  that  which 
touched  the  altar  that  was  made  holy. 

"  Now,  if  you  want  light  to  beam  directly  from 
heaven  on  your  way,  I  will  tell  you  precisely  the  point 
and  the  only  point,  where  you  may  gain  it.  Do  what  you 
already  know  to  be  your  duty.  '  Bind  the  sacrifice  to  the 
altar,  even  with  cords  to  the  horns  of  the  altar.'  Here 
at  this  point  will  you  know  that  *  God  is  the  God  who 
showeth  us  light.'  Till  you  bind  the  sacrifice  here,  fully 
purposed  that  it  shall  ever  remain,  you  cannot  know  ex- 
perimentally of  the  faith  that  sanctifies." 


»^*m- 


5  Wtt  thm  noi.vxon  URiasumarieg ? 


Because  entire  devotedness  to  God  does  not  more 
generally  prevail.  The  first  question  with  an  individual 
entirely  devoted  to  God,  is,  "  What  wilt  Thou  have  me 
to  do  ? '  Are  the  fields  ripe,  ready  to  harvest,  and  does 
he  see  the  laborers  few  ?  how  does  the  heart  of  the 
devoted  one  bound  forward  to  enter  the  field  !  Does  he 
see  a  portion  of  the  Lord's  vineyard  wholly  destitute  of 
culture  where  thousands  of  perishing  heathen  are  waiting 
to  receive  the  seed  of  the  gospel  ?  he  will  not  wait  for 
impressions,  sights,  or  sounds,  in  order  to  be  assured  of 
a  divine  call. 

6* 


<>4  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Education  and  the  ministry.  The  mind  that  was  in  Christ. 


The  knowledge  of  the  fact,  that  millions  of  heathen 
are  now  accessible,  constitutes  a  call  to  one  who  has  it  in 
his  power  to  go.  Educational  abilities  are  desirable, 
but  too  much  ado  may  be  made  on  this  subject.  Christ, 
who  called  Peter  from  his  fishing  nets,  and  Matthew  from 
the  receipt  of  custom,  may  not  always  require  a  long 
scholastic  training  for  the  work  of  soul-saving,  either  for 
home  or  foreign  service. 

What  service  can  be  conceived  of  as  so  acceptable  in 
the  sight  of  God  as  soul-saving  ?  And  are  there  not 
demands  on  both  the  ministry  and  laity,  wholly  beyond 
what  have  been  met  ?  If  the  reception  of  the  mind  that 
was  in  Christ  be  the  criterion  by  which  Ave  are  to  judge 
whether  we  belong  to  him,  it  were  well  for  some,  from 
among  both  the  ministry  and  the  laity,  to  bring  themselves 
to  this  test,  in  view  of  the  great  demand  there  is  at 
present  for  laborers.  Many  who  peruse  these  lines  have 
bright  and  happy  homes.  Endearing  relationships,  kin- 
dred spirits,  and  joyous  anticipations,  make  the  idea  of 
leaving  home  and  all  "the  dear  delights  of  ripe  society " 
exceedingly  painful.  But  how  did  the  mind  that  was  in 
Christ  inspire  him  to  act  ?  In  leaving  the  bosom  of  his 
Father  to  save  the  perishing,  did  he  not,  for  your  sake, 
leave  endearing  relationships  ?  In  leaving  the  society 
of  angels,  and  all  the  pure  spirits  in  the  regions  of  im- 
mortality, did  he  not  make  sacrifices  for  you  ?  Do  you 
manifest,  either  to  your  own  heart's  satisfaction,  or  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  gazing  world,  that  you  love  and  pity 
the  perishing,  as  Christ  loved  and  pitied  you  ?  Say  not 
that  you  have  the  spirit  that  was  in  Christ,  unless  you 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  55 

"  Will  you  be  a  missionary  ?  "  Doors  opening.  "  Thy  kingdom  come." 

are  thus  actuated ;  and  ever  keep  in  mind  the  solemn 
fact ,  "  If  any  man  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is 
none  of  his." 

I  will  not  ask  you  now  whether  you  are  a  minister,  or 
a  lay  member  ;  but  I  will  ask  you  a  question,  the  answer 
to  which  I  implore  you  will  now  settle  as  in  the  imme- 
diate presence  of  God.  Will  you  be  a  missionary,  either 
in  person  or  by  proxy  ?  Hundreds  of  missionaries  are 
now  needed  in  the  foreign  field.  See  every  portion  of 
China  opening  for  the  reception  of  the  Christian  mis- 
sionary !  See  the  thousands  in  India  and  Turkey,  wait- 
ing to  receive  the  seed  of  the  gospel !  See  the  signs  of 
the  times  betokening  that  God  is  about  to  take  away 
the  vail  which,  for  ages,  has  been  on  the  Jewish  mind  ! 
The  latter  day  glory  is  about  to  burst  upon  us.  The 
prayer,  "  Thy  kingdom  come,"  presented  by  you  a 
thousand  times,  is  about  to  be  answered,  and  what  do 
you  intend  to  do  specifically  towards  hastening  the 
answer  ?  Will  you,  in  person,  enter  the  mission  field  ? 
Perhaps,  if  you  have  not  ministerial  talent,  the  Lord 
may  accept  your  services  as  a  physician,  a  tradesman,  a 
farmer,  a  carpenter,  a  blacksmith.  What  an  amount  of 
work  f©r  the  Christian  laborer  does  the  present  state  of 
the  world  present ! 

"  See  where  the  servants  of  the  Lord, 

A  busy  multitude,  appear  ; 
For  Jesus  day  and  night  employed, 

His  heritage  they  toil  to  clear. 
The  love  of  Christ  their  hearts  constrains, 

And  strengthens  their  unwearied  hands, 
They  spend  their  sweat,  and  toil  and  pains, 

To  cultivate  Immanuel's  lands." 


56  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

False  teachers.  A  strange  question.  "  No  !  no  !  no  !  " 


®nt  af  jfetan'a  faitra. 


Such  is  the  exceeding  subtlety  of  Satan,  that  the  most 
devoted  and  earnest  disciple  may  be  ensnared  by  his 
devices,  without  the  most  careful  reliance  on  God  for 
wisdom,  and  a  minute  obedience  to  the  directions  of  the 
written  word.  The  danger  of  being  beguiled  by  teachers 
whose  theories  may  not  be  in  entire  conformity  with  the 
written  word,  is  obviously  set  forth  in  the  following  con- 
versation, between  one  who  would  be  a  spiritual  guide, 
and  a  mother  in  Israel. 

Said  the  former,  w  Would  you  not  be  willing  to  sin, 
if  God  required  it  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,"  quickly  responded  that  mother  in 
Israel ? 

"  Then  you  are  not  entirely  dead,  or  you  would  be 
willing  to  do  any  thing  that  God  wants  you  to  do,"  said 
the  subtle  reasoner. 

"  God  never  wanted  any  body  to  sin  !  He  hates  sin," 
responded  the  mother. 

"  Why  !  not  be  willing  to  sin,  if  it  would  be  for  the 
glory  of  God  ?  "  exclaimed  the  reasoner  in  an  expostu- 
lating tone. 

"  No  !  no  !  no  !  It  could  not  be  for  the  glory  of 
God !  God  never  wanted  any  one  to  sin."  So  ex- 
claimed this  mother  in  Israel,  while  a  feeling  of  abhor- 
rence possessed  her  soul  in  view  of  being  thus  assaulted 
by  Satan.  She  plainly  saw  that  this  subtle  reasoner 
would  fain,  as  an  angel  of  light,  have  infused  into  her 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  5  7 


Wicked  thoughts.  A  strange  theory.  "  I  don't  know  ahout  that." 


soul  the  doctrine  of  devils,  and  her  righteous  spirit  was 
vexed,  in  view  of  the  boldness  of  the  attack. 

Not  willing  to  yield  at  the  first  repulse,  the  reasoner 
continued  his  questionings.    ' 

"  Do  you  ever  have  any  wicked  thoughts  ?  " 

She  replied  that  wicked  thoughts  were  sometimes 
suggested  to  her  mind,  but  she  resisted  them  by 
prayer. 

He  rejoined,  "  This  is  evidence  that  you  are  not  yet 
dead,  for  if  you  were  dead,  and  had  wicked  thoughts, 
they  would  not  be  from  the  devil,  for  the  devil  never 
has  any  thing  to  do  with  the  soul  that  is  entirely  dead." 
He  then  went  on  to  descant  on  his  own  experience,  and 
stoutly  maintained,  that  Satan  had  not  had  any  thing  to 
do  with  him,  during  the  past  fifteen  years. 

This  mother  in  Israel,  perceiving  that  he  who -would 
be  her  instructor,  had  already  been  led  far  into  error  by 
his  ignorance  of  Satan's  devices,  was  deeply  grieved  in 
spirit.  She  knew  he  imagined  that  he  had  been  led  into 
a  higher  state,  of  which  he  said  she  could  not  know, 
until  she  had  also  reached  the  same  point,  and  well 
knowing  how  vain  her  efforts  in  teaching  him  would  be, 
she,  with  an  air  bespeaking  dubiousness  and  sorrow, 
shook  her  head  significantly,  and  said,  "  I  don't  know 
about  that !  "  • 

With  a  look  of  complacency,  sad  indeed  to  witness, 
this  would-be  teacher  in  religion  remarked : 

"  Once  you  were  my  teacher,  but  now  I  am  your 
spiritual  teacher." 

And  thus,  in  his   self-sufficiency  and   assumption  of 


58  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Deceitfulness  of  error.  A  doctrine  of  devils.  What  saith  the  word? 

superior  spiritual  knowledge,  he  turned  away  from  one 
who  had  indeed  exercised,  in  former  years,  a  motherly 
supervision  over  him  in  spiritual  things. 

How  little  do  we  know,  after  having  once  become 
ensnared  by  the  subtleties  of  the  deceiver,  how  far  and 
how  rapidly  we  may  proceed  in  error  !  How  passing 
strange,  that  one  should  go  so  far  as  to  imagine  he  could 
sin  to  the  glory  of  God,  when  God,  by  his  word,  declares 
that  he  cannot  look  upon  sin  with  allowance  !  Yet  so 
it  was.  This  errorist  had  been  so  far  deluded  as  to 
imagine  that,  though  he  had  not  sinned  for  fifteen  years, 
and  indeed  could  not  sin,  yet  God,  for  his  own  glory, 
might  do  things  in  him  and  by  him  which,  by  those  not 
in  this  higher  state,  might  be  regarded  as  sinful. 

Surely,  this  is  in  no  ordinary  degree  a  doctrine  of 
devils.  What  more  could  Satan  desire  than  that  pro- 
fessed Christians  assume  the  ground  that  they  may  sin 
for  God's  glory!  But  in  what  awful  terms  does  the 
God  of  the  Bible  denounce  those  that  assume  this 
ground !  "  He  that  committeth  sin  is  of  the  devil."  "  The 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die."  "  But,"  says  the  errorist, 
'  He  that  is  born  of  God  cannot  sin ; '  though  the 
act  may  appear  sinful  to  those  in  a  lower  state,  yet, 
in  \  he  sight  of  God,  they  are  all  his  own  acts,  for  '  He 
docth  the  work.'  And  what  a  strange  perversion  of 
Scripture  is  here!  God,  who  has  said,  "Thou  shalt 
not  kill,"  has,  with  equal  authority,  said,  "  Avoid  the 
cq/jtearance  of  evil."  "  God  is  not  tempted  with  evil, 
neither  tempteth  he  any  man."  What  a  scandal  on  the 
pure  doctrines  of  Christianity  did  Paul  regard  the  slan- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  59 

"  Whose  damnation  is  just."  Duty  of  the  faithful. 

derous  reports  of  those  who  proclaimed  it  as  one  of  the 
sayings  of  the  early  .Christians,  "  Let  us  do  evil  that 
good  may  come  ; "  so  exceedingly  injurious  to  the  pure 
cause  of  Christ  did  he  regard  it,  that  he  pronounced  the 
damnation  of  such,  just. 

And  how  should  such  doctrines  be  regarded,  by  those 
who  adhere  to  the  blessed  doctrine  of  Christian  Perfec- 
tion ?  Shall  we,  who  believe  that  the  express  object  for 
which  our  Savior  endured  the  cross  was  to  save  his  peo- 
ple from  their  sins,  have  our  forces  weakened  by  a 
semblance  of  fellowship  with  such  doctrines  ?  God 
grant  that  we  may  all  stand  as  faithful  monitors,  to 
give  timely  warning  of  "  Satan's  devices."  May  we 
ever  serve  as  faithful  and  efficient  instructors  to  those 
who  would  find  the  one  and  only  wray  leading  from  earth 
to  heaven.  It  is  the  way  of  holiness  wrhich  has  been 
cast  up  for  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  to  walk  in.  The 
Bible  speaks  of  no  "  higher "  way,  but  it  teaches  the 
necessity  of  constant  progress  in  the  way  of  holiness. 
Neither  do  the  Scriptures  give  us  any  authority  for  the 
belief,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  lead  us  into  any  other 
state,  than  may  be  plainly  inferred  from  the  Bible.  For 
any  one  to  imagine,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  will  lead  him 
into  a  state,  beyond  where  the  teachings  of  the  word 
may  be  specially  needful,  or  lead  him  into  a  state  or  a 
belief,  for  which  an  explicit  u  thus  saith  the  Lord,"  may 
not  be  given,  is  erroneous.  And  wherever  such  a 
device  has  obtained,  whether  among  ministry  or  laity, 
we  fearlessly,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  pronounce  it  a 
device  of  Satan. 


60  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  buried  talent  taken  away.  Of  one  who  would  not  preach. 


©to  afalent  —  und  or  tost. 


Is  it  not  possible  to  neglect  a  gift  so  long  that  it  shall 
be  taken  away  and  given  to  another  ?  I  have  known  of 
some  remarkable  cases  of  this  sort.  One  was  that  of  a 
most  intimate  friend,  now  a  lay  member  of  the  church 
of  Christ,  but,  whether  he  is  now  in  the  enjoyment  ot 
religion,  is  a  questionable  matter.  Formerly,  he  was 
called,  by  the  voice  of  the  church  and  his  own  con- 
science, to  an  official  relation;  but  he  refused,  and 
placed  himself  in  circumstances  not  eligible  for  the  rela- 
tion, and  where  he  might  escape  importunity  on  the 
subject.  Too  well,  alas !  did  he  succeed.  But  the  Mas- 
ter of  the  household,  who  has  said,  "Occupy  till  I 
come,"  did  not  permit  him  to  hold  his  gift  without  occu- 
pying. No !  he  took  it  away,  and,  for  years  past,  this 
brother  has  not  been  able  even  to  open  his  mouth  in 
prayer  with  his  family.  He  says  his  gift  has  been  taken 
away,  and  his  friends  think  so  too.  A  few  months 
since,  a  brother  who,  some  years  ago,  felt  that  he  was 
called  to  the  ministry,  came  to  see  me.  He  refused, 
and  the  chastisements  of  the  Lord  were  brought  to  bear 
heavily  upon  him.  And  yet  he  delayed,  till  now  it  is 
evident,  from  his  physical  ailments  and  his  disastrous 
financial  condition,  that  the  Lord  no  more  requires  him 
in  the  holy  vocation  of  the  ministry.  He  had  neglected 
his  gift  too  long.  The  last  hour  will  come  with  you, 
my  brother,  when  you,  also,  will  have  neglected  the 
gift  too  long.     Will   preaching  once,  or    twice,   or    a 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  61 


Will  the  Master  say,  "  Well  done?  "  Solicitude. 

dozen  times  a  year,  answer  the  claims  of  God  upon  you, 
in  view  of  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  which  he  has 
committed  to  you  ?  1  fear  it  will  not  be  said  of  you, 
"Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant,"  unless  you 
now  decide  on  redeeming  the  time.  I  say  "now"  be- 
cause it  seems  to  me  that  the  crisis  in  your  career  is  now 
reached. 

I  do  not  think  my  mind  would  have  been  so  solemnly 
urged  in  this  communication  to  you,  but  through  the 
operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Shall  I  tell  you  that  I 
have  just  passed  a  wakeful  night  in  your  behalf?  You 
may  be  surprised  at  this,  in  view  of  our  short  acquaint- 
ance, but  it  is  even  so.  I  do  not  mean  that  I  slept  none, 
but  my  slumbers  were  broken  and  dreamy,  and  I  seemed 
to  be,  most  of  the  time,  engaged  in  entreating  you  to 
use  your  talent  ere  it  should  be  taken  from  you. 


■  ■>■  i 


®rr  a  jtatamd  JPmteter. 


I  have  accustomed  myself  so  much  to  talking  on 
paper,  that,  with  me,  the  responsibility  of  a  paper  talk 
seems  to  differ  but  little  from  that  of  an  oral  communi- 
cation. I  will  not  apologize  for  yielding  to  urgings 
made  on  my  mind  by  the  Holy  Spirit ;  and  I  believe 
it  is  through  influences  thus  induced  I  now  address  you. 

Had  opportunity  offered  yesterday  afternoon,  I  might 


62  ILLFSTEATIONS      OF      THE 


Called  to  the  ministry.  A  work  that  Gahriel  can't  do. 

have  said  about  the  same  things  I  now  write.  But,  as 
Providence  did  not  then  seem  to  permit  a  free  inter- 
change of  thought,  I  could  not  chide  myself  for  the 
omission.  Yet  my  heart  is  so  burdened,  that  I  have 
concluded  that  my  expectations,  at  that  time,  were  frus- 
trated in  order  to  indicate  the  present  as  the  better  mode 
of  communicating  with  you. 

I  asked  you,  on  Saturday  evening,  whether  you  had 
not  reason  to  believe  that  God  had  once  committed  to 
you  a  dispensation  of  the  gospel.  You  answered 
unhesitatingly  in  the  affirmative.  O,  what  a  wonderful 
trust  is  this  !  It  seems  to  me  that  the  highest  archangel 
might  covet  a  dispensation  so  gloriously  replete  with 

grace.     Yes,  God   has  dispensed,  to   my  Brother , 

the  ability  to  do  what  even  Gabriel  may  not  do.  Why 
was  not  the  angel,  who,  in  answer  to  the  alms  and 
prayers  of  Cornelius,  was  sent  from  God  to  him,  per- 
mitted to  dispense  to  him  the  gospel  of  his  salvation  ? 
Was  it  not  because  a  higher  and  more  responsible  trust 
had  been  committed  to  Peter  than  might  be  committed 
to  an  angel,  even  though  that  angel  might  have  been 
Gabriel  himself?  O,  indeed,  my  brother  has  been 
entrusted  with  a  higher  gift  than  any  with  which  God 
charges  an  angel  of  light.  Now,  my  dear  brother,  let 
me  ask  you  before  the  Lord,  in  whose  presence  I  stand, 
have  you  been  faithful  to  the  solemn  trust  ?  Have  you, 
in  the  use  of  this  precious  gift,  been  instant  in  season, 
out  of  season,  so  that,  when  your  Lord  cometh  anu 
knocketh,  you  may  open  to  him  immediately,  and  say, 
"Here,  Lord,  is  thine  own  with  usury  "  ? 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  t>3 

No  substitute.  The  unfaithful  watchman,  and  lost  souls. 

Do  you  think  the  claims  of  your  Lord  and  Master 
would  be  satisfied,  should  you  say,  "  Lord,  though  I 
have  not  used  this  gift  for  the  identical  purpose  for  which 
it  was  entrusted,  yet  I  have  not  thrown  it  wholly  away, 
but  have  used  the  influence  gained  by  ministerial  char- 
acter for  educational  and  other  purposes  "  ?  Would  this 
satisfy  the  claims  of  your  Judge  ?  If  not,  O,  hasten,  my 
brother,  and  repent !  Yes,  repent,  and  bring  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance. 

O,  hasten  and  redeem  the  time  ;  for  the  day  is  far 
spent,  and  already  the  Judge  is  at  the  door  ! 


I  ■!» 


%  ^Watchman  atrctg  flnrat  te  foal 


You  have  been  called  to  stand  as  a  watchman  on  the 
walls  of  Zion,  but  you  have  deserted  your  post.  Souls, 
that  ought  to  have  been  warned  by  you,  have  undoubt- 
edly perished.  And  where  will  their  blood  be  found  ? 
Do  not  think  me  severe,  my  dear  brother,  but  can  you 
expect  to  enjoy  the  bliss  of  the  blood- washed  company 
in  heaven,  while  scores  are  eternally  wailing  "  where 
the  worm  dieth  not  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched  ?  "  — 
souls,  who  might  have  been  saved,  had  you  improved 
the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  committed  to  you.  Had 
you  given  them  timely  warning,  they  might  now  have 
been  singing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb.  These 
suppositions  are  not  improbable  nor  unscriptural.      See 


64  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Blood-guiltiness.  "  Let  the  dead  bury  their  dead."  The  revival. 

Ezekiel  53  :  6 — 9  :  "  He  is  taken  away  in  his  iniquity, 
but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  the  watchman's  hands. 
Nevertheless,  if  thou  warn  the  wicked  to  turn  from 
his  way,  if  he  turn  not  from  his  way,  he  shall  die  in  his 
iniquity,  but  thou  hast  delivered  thy  soul."  The 
Lord  deliver  my  brother  from  blood-guiltiness.  In 
your  case,  I  cannot  see  but  you  must  either  thus  be 
found  guilty  of  blood,  or  that  God  will  raise  up  another 
to  do  your  work,  and  to  take  your  crown,  unless  you 
begin  at  once  to  redeem  the  time.  Shall  it  not  be  the 
latter,  my  brother  ?  Will  you  not  let  the  dead  bury  their 
dead,  and  now  give  yourself  up  afresh  and  unreservedly 
to  the  identical  work  to  which  you  have  been  called  ? 


i  m*m  > 


Jut  %pw  ^mitten. 


I  have  recently  been  visiting  a  village  where  scores 
have  been  brought  to  see  their  need  of  a  Savior.  The 
village  is  not  large  ;  but,  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  inhabitants,  I  think  the  revival  is  the  most  general  I 
ever  witnessed.  On  Sabbath  evening,  the  pastor  re- 
quested that  those  who  were  resolved  to  seek  the  Lord 
would  manifest  it  by  rising.  About  seventy  arose. 
But  what  a  solemn  announcement  was  made  that  even- 
ing !  A  young  physician,  who,  by  his  impious  course, 
had  set  God  at  defiance,  was  announced  as  on  the  very 
verge   of  eternity,  and  requesting   the  prayers   of  the 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION*  65 

The  opposer — succeeded  for  a  time  —  but  God  took  him. 

congregation.  This  young  man  had  been  extensively 
known  in  the  village  as  an  opposer  of  religion.  Three 
years  previous  to  this  time,  the  Lord  commenced  to 
work  in  the  place,  when  this  young  man  openly  said  he 
would  put  a  stop  to  it.  For  this  purpose,  he  got  up  a 
ball,  and  so  engaged  the  attentions  of  the  community 
that  he  actually  gained  his  point.  No  special  work  of 
the  Spirit  had  been  known  from  that  time  till  this.  And 
now  God  was  about  to  take  him  away.  The  next 
morning,  the  bell,  in  solemn  tones,  from  the  spire  of 
that  village  church,  told  the  community  that  the  oppo- 
ser was  removed.  God  had  taken  his  own  work  in 
hand.  The  work  of  the  Lord  went  on  with  power 
while  I  remained,  till  it  really  seemed  as  if  the  whole 
place  was  turning  to  the  Lord.  •- 


tmtmt 


fitting  in  jpatk 


"And  they  overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the  word  of  their  tea 

timony." — Revelation  xii.  11. 

Some  time  since,  an  incident  was  related  at  the  Tues- 
day afternoon  meeting,  which  was  about  as  follows.  An 
aged  believer,  while  passing  over  the  waters  of  Jordan, 
was  severely  buffeted  by  Satan.  All  the  sins  of  his 
former  life  were  in  appalling  array  brought  out  be- 
fore him  ;  and  even  his  well-intended  efforts  were  so 
distorted  by  the  presentations  of  the  fierce  accuser  as  to 

6* 


66  ILLUSTRATIONS"   OF     THE 

The  dying  saint.  The  unrolling  catalogue.  "  Is  that  all  ?  '* 

appear  sins  of  sufficient  enormity  to  sink  him  forever. 
The  appalling  catalogue  of  the  past,  as,  in  its  unrollings, 
it  presented  another,  and  another,  and  yet  another  sin, 
of  deeper  die,  would  have  overwhelmed  him  but  for  a 
vivid  recollection,  which,  in  this  time  of  need,  was 
worth  more  than  untold  millions  of  gold.  It  was  amid 
this  scene  of  peril  that  the  Holy  Comforter  brought  to 
his  remembrance,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from 
all  sin." 

But  still  the  catalogue  of  the  past  unrolled,  presenting 
yet  another  and  another  item,  which  would  have  been 
still  more  appalling  but  for  the  gentle  whisperings  of 
the  ever-blessed  Comforter,  continually  urging  upon  his 
recollections,  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all 
sin."  And  still  this  aged  disciple,  sustained  by  the 
truth  which  the  Holy  Spirit  had  brought  so  vividly  to 
his  remembrance,  was  enabled  to  keep  his  head  above 
the  water ;  and,  as  the  cruel  tempter  still  presented  to 
his  spirit's  vision  one  sin  after  another,  as  though  the 
catalogue  were  never  to  be  finished,  the  veteran  believer 
would,  with  self-abhorrence,  and  yet  with  hopefulness, 
exclaim,  "  Is  that  all  ?  "  "  No,"  vociferated  the  tempter, 
"  that  is  not  all ;  here  is  something  more  ;  "  and  yet 
again,  "  something  more  !  "  till  at  last  Satan  was  wearied 
as  it  were  with  his  own  work,  and  conceived,  doubt- 
less, that  he  had  already  brought  up  enough  to  over- 
whelm his  antagonist,  who  was  now  fainting  in  the 
death  struggle.  But  the  accuser  did  not  perceive  that 
the  Holy  Spirit,  as  a  peaceful  dove,  was  hovering  near 
him  in  this  awful  hour  of  conflict.     The   tempted   one, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  67 

The  name  of  Jesus  and  victory  If  you  had  been  holy.  The  promise. 

again  rallying,  cried  out,  "  Is  that  all  ?  '  "  Yes,"  said 
the  tempter,  "that  is  all."  "Now,"  said  the  tempest- 
tossed  believer  to  his  exulting  foe,  "  let  me  put  at  the 
foot  of  that  list  the  name  of  Jesus  ;  for  the  blood  of 
Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin ! '  We  need  not  add,  that 
the  tempter  was  vanquished,  and  the  exulting  victor 
bounded  triumphantly  over  the  swellings  of  Jordan, 
imid  shouts  of  victory,  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ! 


<i»i 


tat  is  titentinjg  ? 


I  need  not  say  to  you  that  what  you  want  is  the  bless 
,'ng  of  entire  sanguification.  Had  you  been  in  the  defi- 
nite and  unwavering  possession  of  this  grace  since  the 
>ime  you  first  began  to  minister  in  holy  things,  doubt- 
/.ess  you  had,  since  that  time,  been  in  unbroken  and 
jffective  service  in  the  ranks  of  the  ministry,  and  scores, 
f  not  hundreds  more  had,  through  your  agency,  been 
converted  and  sanctified. 

You  need  this  blessing  now,  in  order  to  enter  afresh 
tito  the  service  of  the  sanctuary.  "  Be  ye  clean  that  bear 
he  vessels  of  the  Lord."  If  you  see  wherein  you  may 
have  missed  the  mark,  and  have  not  done  as  much  toward 
oaving  souls  as  you  might  have  done,  confess  this  before 
God  and  your  brethren.  "  If  we  confess  our  sins,  he  is 
faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us 
from  all  unrighteousness."     And  how  long  will  it  take 


68  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

"  Lay  yourself  on  the  altar  now."  "  The  hand  of  a  woman." 

our  promise-keeping  God  to  do  this  ?  If  confession  is 
made  now,  ought  you  not  to  expect  forgiveness  and 
cleansing  now  ?  Your  Savior  says,  "  Come,  for  all  things 
are  now  ready."  The  longer  you  stay  away,  the  deeper 
the  stains  of  impurity  become.  You  will  glorify  God 
more  by  coming  now,  than  by  lingering  till  the  morrow, 
and,  even  ere  the  morrow,  you  may  be  instrumental  in 
the  sanctification  of  others.  Let  me  ask,  my  dear 
brother,  do  you  now  lay  yourself,  with  all  your  interests 
near  or  remote,  upon  the  altar  ?  You  cannot  look  for 
the  fire  to  descend  and  consume  your  sacrifice,  unless 
your  offering  is  upon  the  altar.  It  is  not  until  you  pre- 
sent yourself  wholly  to  God  through  Christ  that  you  can 
know  the  all-cleansing  efficacy  of  that  blood  which  puri- 
fies. O,  that  from  this  hour  you  may  realize  the  full 
power  of  saving  grace  ! 


<3te  JHatere— §mtr  a  dpmrdt  urns  3Mtt. 


»'  The  Lord  shall  sell  Sisera  into  the  hand  of  a  woman." 

Often  has  the  observation  of  Deborah,  with  the 
accompanying  circumstances,  come  to  mind  in  unison 
with  the  thought  of  two  devoted  sisters  residing  in  the 

village  of  L .     In  this  place,  which  is  contiguous  to 

a  seat  of  learning,  where  many  Gamaliels  of  the  present 
day  have  been  tuitioned  in  those  aristocratic  views  which 
would  expose  to  contumely,  and  keep  at  a  distance  the 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  69 

A  coward.  A  gay  professor  renovated.  Results. 

approach  of  Methodism,  these  sisters  have  been  instru- 
mental in  rearing  our  banner.  At  the  same  place  resides 
a  brother  who,  for  several  years,  has  been  a  member  of 
our  communion.  Though  possessed  of  enlightened 
piety  which,  if  sufficiently  ardent,  would  have  gathered 
others  around  him,  he  stood,  for  some  years,  shrinkingly 
alone. 

Gracious  influences  often  urged  him  to  invite  a  gath- 
ering of  the  people  for  social  worship.  As  time  passed 
on,  probabilities  for  successful  action  on  the  part  of 
Methodism  grew  less  promising.  About  four  years 
since,  the  elder  of  two  sisters,  than  exceedingly  gay,  vis- 
ited the  city  of .     Here,  coming  in  contact  with 

a  lover  of  holiness,  a  plainly  attired  female  disciple  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  she  became  convinced  that  she  was  her- 
self a  lover  of  pleasure  more  than  a  lover  of  God.  She 
yielded  to  the  persuasions  of  the  Spirit,  renounced  the 
world,  and,  on  making  this  surrender,  found  the  way  to 
the  cross,  which  had  before  seemed  inaccessible,  perfectly 
easy. 

She  returned  home  with  a  spirit  fired  with  the  life- 
renewing  energies  of  the  gospel,  and  it  was  not  long  ere 
she  obtained  a  fellow-helper  in  an  only  sister.  A  fond 
mother  also  soon  afterwards  joined  with  them  in  their 
heavenward  course. 

Through  the  instrumentality  of  Mrs.  S.,  the  female 
who  had  been  helpful  in  the  conversion  of  the  elder,  with 
others  who  had  become  interested,  these  lambs  of 
the  fold  were  directed  to  the  more  elevated  work  of  the 
believer.     No  sooner   did  they  become  understanding^ 


70  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

— —  ....         ■  ......  ■         .... ■        -      ■  .    .   . .  —    — t 

Two  churches  raised  up.  Practical  deductions. 

convinced,  than  they  resolved,  at  every  sacrifice,  on 
securing  the  prize  of  their  high  calling.  And  they  have 
all  since  become  zealous  witnesses  that  the  blood  of 
Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  unrighteousness.  The  neigh- 
bors were  invited  to  their  house  for  social  worship,  but 
the  place  soon  became  too  small.  Many  zealous  wor- 
shippers and  two  churches  are  the  result  of  the  work 
thus  commenced. 

The  brother  who  had  so  long  stood  alone,  mourning 
over  the  desolations  of  Zion,  most  heartily  cooperates 
with  the  zealous  sisters  in  their  labors  of  love,  and  he, 
with  themselves,  is  now  walking  onward,  by  the  might 
of  the  Spirit,  in  the  King's  highway.  The  example  of 
these  sisters  brings  out  the  express  design  of  the  Savior 
in  redeeming  us  unto  himself.  Witness  his  words : 
"  Who  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us 
from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works."  And  what  an  encour- 
aging consideration  that  God  so  often  takes  the  weak 
things  of  this  world  to  confound  the  mighty !  And 
should  not  such  an  exemplification  of  the  blessedness  of 
entire  devotedness  to  God  be  inspiring  to  all  who  seek 
the  upbuilding  of  Zion  ?  How  little  probability  is  there 
that  these  two  sisters  would  have  been  thus  inspired, 
and  thus  successful,  had  they  not  thus  early  been  filled 
with  the  might  which  inward  holiness  gives  !  How  was 
it  that  the  brother,  who  had  occupied  the  ground  years 
before,  had  been  shrinking  from  the  monitions  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  ?  Had  he  obeyed,  his  exertions  might  before 
have  resulted  in  rearing  the  walls  of  Zion  in  that  place. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  71 

Barac  had  the  offer.  "  The  Missionary  Books  " 

Had  lie,  early  in  his  religious  career,  received  the  full 
baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  did  these  two  sisters,  he 
would  not  have  yielded  to  his  shrinking  flesh/  and  the 
Lord  might  not  have  raised  up  these  two  sisters  to  do 
what  he,  in  his  manly  strength,  if  wholly  sanctified, 
might  have  done.  Barac  seemed  fairly  to  have  had  the 
offer  of  doing  what  Deborah  afterwards  did,  and  it  was 
not  to  his  credit  that  God  sold  Sisera  into  the  hand  of  a 
woman. 


»*■»> 


ife  Valuation— retahwit  ox  tasi 


You  gave  me  an  encouraging  account  of  the  "  Mis- 
sionary Books,"  in  your  last,  and  said,  as  far  as  you 
could  ascertain,  about  twenty  persons  had,  within  a  few 
weeks,  received  the  blessing  of  entire  sanctification 
through  reading  them.  And,  among  these,  are  six  in 
the  college  who  are  preparing  for  the  ministry  !  And 
not  only  young  men,  but,  among  the  number  who  have 
put  on  the  whole  armor,  are  gray-haired  men,  who  are 
boldly  testifying,  from  experience,  that,  "  The  blood  of 
Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  Hallelujah !  the  Lord 
God  Omnipotent  reigneth  ! 

I  shall  long  to  hear  how  these,  my  dear  southern 
friends,  endure.  The  sanctified  have  much  to  endure. 
"We  are  sanctified  to  prepare  us  for  conflict,"  says  the 
devoted  Bishop  H.     "  God    arms    us    a  th    the    whole 


72  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

God's  object  in  our  sanctifies  tion.  Wesley's  opinion. 

armor  of  righteousness,  in  order  that  we  may  stand  the 
fiercest  fire  from  the  ranks  of  the  enemy.  Yet  in  all 
we  may  stand.  I  have  known  some  intimately,  who, 
though  placed  in  the  front  of  the  battle,  and  called  to  en- 
dure the  hottest  fire,  have  remained  unshaken  for  years. 
Yet  my  heart  is  moved  with  tenderest  sympathy  and 
solicitude  for  those  who  are  babes  in  this  grace.  With 
Mr.  Wesley,  I  have  observed  it  is  exceeding  common  for 
persons  to  lose  it  more  than  once  before  they  are  estab- 
lished therein."  That  excellent  man  also  warns  us  against 
yielding  to  the  impression,  that  persons  who  have  pro- 
fessed this  attainment  were  deceived,  because  they  are 
not  now  in  the  enjoyment  of  it.  After  describing  a 
most  instructive  experience  of  this  blessing,  he  says, 
"  Now  suppose,  ten  weeks  or  ten  months  hence,  this  per- 
son should  be  cold  and  dead,  shall  I  say  she  deceived  her- 
self, this  was  merely  the  work  of  her  imagination  ?  Not 
at  all ;  I  have  no  right  so  to  judge,  or  authority  so  to 
speak.  I  will  rather  say,  she  was  unfaithful  to  the 
grace,  and  so  cast  away  what  was  really  given.  There- 
fore that  way  of  talking,  which  has  become  so  common, 
of  staying  to  see  if  the  gift  be  really  given,  which  some 
take  to  be  so  exceedingly  wise,  I  take  to  be  exceedingly 
foolish.  If  a  man  say  I  feel  nothing  but  love,  and  I 
know  him  to  be  an  honest  man,  I  believe  him.  What, 
then,  should  I  stay  to  see  ?  Not  whether  he  has  such 
a  blessing,  but  whether  he  will  keep  it."  See  Mr. 
HartwelPs  tract,  "  Old  Paths,"  in  reply  to  H.  Mattison. 
Mr.  Wesley  goes  on  to  say,  "What  a  grievous  error, 
to  think  those  that  are  saved  from  sin  cannot  lose  what 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  73 

Purity  may  be  lost — or  kept.  The  lawyer. 

they  have  gained  !  It  is  a  miracle  if  they  do  not,  see- 
ing all  earth  and  hell  are  engaged  against  them  ;  while, 
meantime,  so  few  even  of  the  children  of  God  endeav- 
or skilfully  to  help  them.  .  .  .  Two  things  are  certain : 
the  one  that  it  is  possible  to  lose  even  the  pure  love  of 
God  ;  the  other  that  it  is  not  necessary — it  is  not 
unavoidable,  it  may  be  lost,  but  it  may  be  kept."  Yes, 
we  may  be  kept,  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith. 
Christ  is  able  to  keep  that  which  we  have  committed 
into  his  hands  unto  that  day.  He  is  able  to  keep  us 
from  falling,  and  to  present  us  faultless  before  the  pres- 
ence of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy. 


imahtg,  flfduratum  and  §0litks. 


On  Saturday  evening,  I  called,  when  on  my  way  to 

meeting,  on  Brother  S -,  the  lawyer,  who,  you  will 

remember,  made  such  an  interesting  confession,  last 
Thursday  evening,  in  the  altar.  I  was  there  introduced 
to   a  gentleman   who  was   a    student   at   the  Wesleyan 

University  at  the  same  time  Brother  S was  there. 

I  found  afterwards,  that  this  gentleman,  who  was  in- 
deed prepossessing  in  his  appearance,  was  formerly  a 
flaming  minister,  and,  about  six  years  since,  was  called, 
from  the  midst  of  a  gracious  revival  in  his  charge,  to 
take  the  presidency  of  one  of  our  literary  institutions, 
the  duties  of  which,  he  has  been  rilling  till  within  the 


74  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  exclamation.  Not  clear  in  justification.  No  standing  still. 


last  two  or  three  weeks.  He  had  now  come  to  this  city, 
intending  to    take    the  editorship    of  a  political  paper. 

Said    Brother    S ,    in   view    of   this    arrangement, 

"  What !  you,  a  minister,  come  to  enter  into  politics,  and 
I,  a  lawyer,  have  had  to  get  out  of  them  to  save  my 
soul."  I  knew  nothing  of  these  matters,  however,  till 
a  subsequent  interview,  but  O,  how  continuously  am  I 
assured  that  God  does  give  me  wisdom  when  I  put  my 
trust  in  him !  I  think  I  had  not  been  with  this  brother 
more  than  two  minutes  when,  on  ascertaining  he  was  a 
minister,  I  said,  "  Brother,  do  you  enjoy  the  witness  of 
entire  sanctification  ? '  He  said  he  feared  he  was  far 
from  it,  and  knew  not  that  he  could  speak  with  clear- 
ness of  a  state  of  justification.  I  observed  that  his  case, 
in  this  regard,  was  not  remarkable.  If  he  had  not,  in 
obedience  to  God,  been  going  on  to  entire  holiness,  he 
could  not,  of  course,  have  been  standing  still,  any  more 
than  the  Israelites  could  have  stood  still  after  they  were 
brought  out  of  Egypt,  and  had  journeyed  forward  to  the 
borders  of  the  promised  land.  The  Lord  would  not  let 
them  stand  still  there  ;  they  either  had  to  obey  and  go 
forward,  or  go  back  ;  and  thus  it  must  be  with  our- 
selves. From  this  moment  his  case  was  laid  as  a  bur- 
den on  my  soul.  He  went  to  the  Saturday  night  meet- 
ing, and  became  more  deeply  convicted  of  his  need  of 
inward  purity.  On  the  Sabbath,  yet  clearer  light  pen- 
etrated his  soul.  He  told  me  he  had  lost  his  relish 
for  preaching,  and  had  not  preached  more  than  once  or 
twice  in  a  year ;  but  he  went  with  me  to  my  parish, 
(the  city    prison,)  and  labored    there  and    preached    at. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION  75 

The  burden.  The  message.  What  would  the  apostles  have  said  ? 

N ,    on    "  Perfect   love    casteth    out    fear/'  in  the 

evening.     My  heart  was  so  burdened  with  his  case,  that 
I  spent  the  night  in  wakefulness,  in  his  behalf. 

I  believe  the  Lord  sends  messages  now  through 
human  agencies  just  as  truly  as  in  former  days,  and  O, 
how  pressed  in  spirit  I  was,  until  I  had  delivered  the 
burden  of  my  heart  to  this  brother  !  The  result  was,  that 
he  felt  the  message  to  be  as  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  him. 
The  , Spirit  had  dictated  the  message,  and  now  carried 
it  to  his  inmost  heart.  He  felt,  as  I  had  believed,  that 
a  crisis  of  wonderful  magnitude  in  his  career  had  come. 
He  wept  in  deep  humility  before  God,  and  now  says  that 
his  work  is  the  ministry.  I  believe  it  does  us  good  not 
only  to  confess  our  faults  before  God,  but  before  one 
another  ;  and,  yesterday  afternoon,  at  the  meeting,  this 
brother  made  an  humble  confession,  and  he  now  feels 
that  nothing  less  than  the  full  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  can  make  him  permanently  what  God  intends  he 
should  be. 


■i» 


Stoatlar  $Mtw88  and  a  djjatl  to  tte  Jfthtfetrg. 

I  wonder  if  Peter,  John,  James  or  any  of  the  other 
apostles,  had  been  called,  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  to 
devote  themselves  to  the  cause  of  education,  or  to  fill 
many  a  situation  which  clergymen  now  fill  connected 
with  dollars  and  cents,   whether  they  would  not  have 


X 


76  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

"  It  is  not  reason."  If  God's  order  were  followed. 

said,  "  It  is  not  reason  that  we  should  leave  the  word  of 
God  and  serve  tables."  Doubtless  they  would  say,  to 
their  brethren  of  the  laity,  "  Look  ye  out  among  you 
men  of  honest  report,  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  wisdom, 
whom  we  may  appoint  over  this  business,  but  we  will  give 
ourselves  continually  to  prayer  and  the  ministry  of  the 
word."  I  feel  quite  sure  that  either  Peter,  James  or 
John,  while  the  freshness  of  their  baptism  was  upon 
them,  would  have  felt  that  they  were  coming  down  from 
the  duties  of  their  high  vocation  if  any  situation,  how- 
ever eligible,  had  been  offered  not  wholly  connected 
with  the  ministry  of  the  word.  But  we  do  not  read 
that  they  ever  lost  the  freshness  of  that  baptism,  and, 
from  the  subsequent  tone  of  their  writings,  we  may  con- 
clude that  such  was  even  their  devotion  to  their  work 
that  they  would  ever  have  felt  that  it  was  "  not  reason  " 
for  them  to  leave  the  ministry  of  the  word,  for  any 
other  work. 

"Were  it  now  the  order  of  the  church  that  ministers  of  the 
present  day  should  tarry  at  Jerusalem  until  endued  with 
power  from  on  high,  by  the  reception  of  the  full  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  were  the  freshness  of  this 
baptism  ever  retained,  what  a  different  aspect  would  the 
church  present !  Many  more  brethren,  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  wisdom,  might  be  found  to  manage  those 
matters  which  now  take  the  attention  of  ministers,  and 
far  more  effectual  would  be  the  labors  of  those  men  who 
should  give  themselves  continually  to  prayer,  and  the 
ministry  of  the  word. 

The  reason  why  we  do  not  now  witness  more  of  those 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  77 


The  needful  baptism.  Twice  at  the  altar.  "  Shiloh  is  come." 


remarkable  displays  of  grace  which  some  think  to  be  a 
peculiarity  of  apostolic  days,  is  doubtless  only  because 
ministers  and  people  do  not  feel  that  it  is  an  imperious 
and  divine  injunction  that  they  tarry  at  Jerusalem  until 
they  receive  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 


■  »>»  i 


(tymmhrt  of  a  Jatr. 


Two  or  three  evenings  since,  a  Jew  was  converted  at 
the  altar  of  the  church  where  we  worship.  He  came  for- 
ward two  evenings.  As  I  conversed  with  him  on  the 
first  occasion,  and  would  have  told  him  how  to  trust  in 
Christ,  he  said,  "  I  do  not  understand."  I  endeavored 
to  simplify,  but  he  continued  to  say,  "  I  cannot  under- 
stand." "  I  came  here,"  said  he,  "  to  confess  that  I 
now  believe  in  Christ  as  the  true  Messiah."  His  expec- 
tation seemingly  had  not  gone  so  far  as  to  say,  "  I  have 
found  him  of  whom  Moses,  in  the  law  and  the  prophets, 
did  write."  The  next  evening,  he  came  forward  to 
espouse  Christ  as  his  personal  Savior,  and  the  Lord  gra- 
ciously enabled  him  to  call  Jesus  Lord  by  the  Spirit. 
And  most  interestingly  did  he  testify  of  it  before  a  large 
congregation.  He  stands  at  the  head  of  a  company  of 
inquirers  who  have,  for  some  time  past,  been  meeting  to 
investigate  in  regard  to  a  coming  Shiloh.  Now,  he  boldly 
testifies  that  Shiloh  has  come.  He  is  very  intelligent, 
and  given  to  investigation.     We  do  not  doubt  but  that 


78  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  testimony.  The  Christian's  Teacher.  Lessons. 


the  Lord  is  about  to  raise  him  up  as  a  preacher  of  right- 
eousness among  his  own  people.  I  have  learned  that 
several  of  his  inquiring  friends  were  present  at  the  time 
he  went  forward,  and,  from  the  altar,  testified  of  his 
experimental  knowledge  of  Christ  as  his  Savior.  One 
of  the  largest  and  most  expensive  synagogues  in  Amer- 
ica is  within  a  few  steps  of  this  church  ;  and  our  pastor 
thinks  that  this  is  only  the  beginning  of  a  work  among 
our  friends  who  have  so  long  been  looking  for  Shiloh  to 
come. 


« »»»i 


Sto  two  Starctert '— Jtstra  and  dtomalM. 


1  have  heard  nry  dear  Dr.  P. say,  in  speaking  of 

the  scholarship  of  Paul,  that  he  was  regarded  as  more 
than  ordinarily  favored  because  he  sat  at  the  feet  of 
Gamaliel;  but  that  the  most  obscure  Christian  has  a 
Teacher  with  whom  Gamaliel  is  not  to  be  compared. 
The  Christian  sits  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Christ  is  his 
Teacher,  and  is  ever,  in  love,  saying  to  his  pupil, 
"  Learn  of  me."  You  say  you  have  been  taking  some 
new  lessons  in  trusting  the  Lord.  I  shall  wait  for  your 
answer  to  this  with  much  interest,  expecting,  of  course, 
to  learn  the  result  of  these  new  lessons  in  trusting  the 
Lord.  I  have  also  been  taking  some  new  lessons,  of 
late,  in  the  art  of  holy  warfare.  Blessed  be  the  Cap- 
tain of  my  salvation.  He  does  teach  "  my  hands  to  war, 
and  my  fingers  to  fight." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  .79 


Increasing  light  obeyed.  Last  needless  ornament  gone. 

gaw  pit  rjiuM  ty  Jlin    §t$f  Jill 

A  lady,  who  by  some  might  have  been  called  a  star  in 
the  fashionable  world,  was  wholy  sanctified  last  night. 
About  three  months  since,  she  was  converted.  But,  in 
looking  upon  her,  and  observing  how  light  was  grad- 
ually brought  to  her  mind  as  she  became  better  able  to 
endure  it,  I  thought  of  the  Savior's  words  to  his  disci- 
ples, "  I  have  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye  can- 
not bear  them  now."  Her  influence  has  been  consider- 
able in  view  of  the  many  who,  more  recently  than  her- 
self, have  been  brought  to  Christ ;  and  O,  how  I  longed 
that  she,  in  all  things,  might  be  an  example  to  believ- 
ers !  She  has,  by  degrees,  been  parting  with  her  relics 
of  worldliness,  till  I  really  hope  that  she  has  now  parted 
with  her  last  one.  This  one  had  given  me  uneasiness, 
and  I  asked  her  if  she  would  not  give  it  up.  "  I 
will,"  said  she.  Last  night,  she  came  to  the  social 
meeting,  adorned  as  a  woman  professing  godliness. 
Her  appearance  was  not  only  lovely,  but  of  good  report 
as  a  follower  of  Jesus.  As  I  noticed  that  this  sister's 
last  needless  ornament  was  gone,  it  brought  vividly  to 
my  recollection  a  scene  in  the  history  of  Jacob  and  his 
household,  where  he  was  commanded  to  go  up  to 
Bethel,  there  to  receive  a  renewal  of  the  promises  to 
himself  and  to  his  seed.  Before  going  up,  they  were  to 
put  away  all  their  household  gods,  and  their  earrings, 
and  change  their  garments,  and  be  clean.  After  they 
had  made  these  preparations,  Jacob  took  their  household 


80  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Jacob  at  Bethel.  The  sacrifice.  Faith.  Conversion  of  a  Catholic. 


gods,  and  their  earrings,  and  hid  them  under  an  oak, 
doubtless  with  the  intention  that  they  should  never  — 
never  —  be  again  resumed.  Thus  prepared,  they  went  up 
to  Bethel,  and  most  graciously  did  the  Lord  accept 
them.  Jacob's  name  was  changed  to  Israel,  and  the 
Lord  renewed  his  covenant  to  him  and  his  seed  forever. 
And  thus  it  was  with  this  sister.  She  had  searched  out 
her  last  idol,  and  hid  it.  "  Have  you  given  up  all  ?  " 
I  asked.  "  Yes,  all"  she  replied.  "  If  you  are  indeed 
wholly  given  up,  the  Lord  waits  now  to  receive  you 
wholly.  He  does  not  mean  five  minutes  hence,  but 
now."  "  Now  is  the  accepted  time,  behold,  now  is  the 
day  of  salvation."  She  appropriated  the  promises,  and 
was  cleansed  from  all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit. 
I  had  thrown  my  arm  around  her,  as  I  stood  conversing, 
and  so  great  was  the  power  resting  upon  her  that  her 
physical  system  began  to  give  way,  and  she  sunk  under 

"  The  overwhelming  power  of  saving  grace." 


u  pious  (Pistras  and  tor  JSmrant. 


A  Catholic  girl,  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence, 
was  translated  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the 
kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son,  a  few  hours  since.  Christ 
manifested  himself  to  her  as  her  reconciled  Savior  while 
I    was    endeavoring    to    direct    the    eye    of    her    faith. 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  81 


The  soul  of  a  domestic  saved.  Responsibility  of  a  mistress. 

Sweetly  did  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing, take  possession  of  her  heart.  She  has  been 
living  with  a  dear  friend  of  mine,  who  took  her  in  as 
extra  help  in  the  hour  of  sickness.  As  the  occasion 
passed  by,  she  still  kept  her,  for  she  perceived  that 
the  spirit  of  the  Lord  had  begun  to  brood  upon  the 
chaos  of  her  heart.  Her  zeal  and  sincerity  seemed 
worthy  of  a  better  faith  ;  and,  now  that  God  sent  her,  in 
the  order  of  his  providence,  where  the  light  of  truth 
shone  upon  her,  she  was  not  disobedient  to  the  heavenly 
vision.  But  it  was  by  a  gradual  process.  And  my 
friend  acted  upon  the  principle  that  she  would  sacrifice 
that  which  cost  her  something,  and  so,  in  the  hope  of 
securing  the  ultimate  salvation  of  the  girl,  she  still  re- 
tained her,  though  she  did  not  longer  need  her  services. 
How  do  millions  of  this  world's  wealth  sink  into  insigni- 
ficance in  view  of  the  salvation  of  one  soul !  If  this 
soul  may  be  a  star  in  the  crown  of  my  friend,  the 
wealth  of  the  richest  kingdom  on  earth  would  be  as 
dust  in  the  balance  compared  with 'the  gain  of  having 
saved  a  soul  from  death.  The  relation  of  mistress  and 
servant  involves  higher  responsibilities  than  many  ima- 
gine. If  every  pious  lady  at  the  head  of  a  household 
establishment  should  feel  that  the  souls  of  those  who 
are  dependent  on  her  care  are  as  priceless  as  her  own 
in  the  sight  of  God,  would  there  not  be  greater  sacrifices 
made  for  their  spiritual  benefit  ? 


#2  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

Of  praying  and  giving.  God  gives  to  us  as  we  give.  Penuriousness. 


Jtinjjj  tptm&m 


"  Who  is  there  even  among  you  that  would  shut  the  doors  for  nought  ?    Neither 
da  ye  kindle  a  fire  on  mine  altar  for  nought." 

I  am  thankful  for  the  opportunity  to  say,  that,  if 
our friends  should  do  much  more  toward  sustain- 
ing the  institutions  of  religion  among  themselves,  it 
would  do  much  towards  bettering  their  spiritual  condi- 
tion. The  Bible  makes  it  as  much  a  duty  to  give 
according  as  God  has  prospered  us,  as  it  makes  it  our 
duty  to  pray.  One  reason  why  many  are  spiritually 
lean  is,  because  they  are  so  lean  in  their  manner  of 
giving.  God  gives,  generally,  in  both  spirituals  and 
temporals,  in  about  the  proportion  we  give  to  others. 
"  Give,  and  it  shall  be  given  you,  good  measure,  pressed 
down,  shaken  together,  and  running  over."  Those 
who  do  not  give  gospel  measure  do  not  receive  gospel 
measure.  We  ought  to  regard  it  at  least  as  great  a 
privilege  to  give  as  to  receive.  But  why  do  I  thus 
speak  ?  The  Bible  makes  it  greater.  "  It  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive."  Yet  this  is  a  privilege 
of  which  our  friends  do  not  avail  themselves  as  they 
ought.  In  the  first  place,  if  they  have  a  church  to 
build,  or  repair,  instead  of  regarding  it  as  a  privilege 
to  lay  up  specifically  for  that  purpose,  as  David  did, 
unwilling  to  sacrifice  that  which  cost  him  nothing,  some, 
I  fear,  would  regard  it  as  a  privilege  to  have  our  city 
friends,  by  public  subscriptions  or  private  donations, 
pay  off  the  debt  to  the  last  cent.     And,  from  the  scanty 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  33 


Scanty  ministerial  support.  Costless  offerings.  God's  reproof. 


support  that  some  of  these  give  their  minister,  I  have 
thought  that  they  might  feel  themselves  as  so  much  in 
pocket  if  their  minister  might  be  sustained  from  abroad 
also.  Certain  it  is,  that  it  would  be  more  comfortable  for 
the  feelings  of  their  minister,  who  is  sometimes  left  to  feel 
as  though  he  was  receiving  his  scanty  support  more  as 
a  dependent  on  the  charities  of  his  people,  than  as  an 
ambassador  from  the  court  of  heaven.  In  the  days  of 
the  prophet  Malachi,  there  were  those  who  were  dis- 
posed to  sustain  the  institutions  of  religion  in  about  the 
same  way.  They  waited  long,  and  in  earnest  entreaty, 
at  God's  altar.  They  were  ready  to  sacrifice  also,  but 
it  was  not  of  that  which  cost  them  any  thing.  Have 
you  not  noticed  how  ready  some  people  were  to  appro- 
priate to  their  minister  that  which  they  cannot  turn  in- 
to money?  Well,  just  such  offerers  were  those  who 
waited  at  the  altar  in  the  days  of  this  ancient  prophet. 
And  these  would  have  had  the  prophet  beseech  God 
that  he  would  be  gracious  unto  them.  But  what  does 
the  Lord,  by  the  mouth  of  the  prophet,  say  ?  "  Who  is 
there  even  among  you  that  would  shut  the  doors  for 
nought?  Neither  do  ye  kindle  a  fire  on  mine  altar  for 
nought ;  I  have  no  pleasure  in  you,  saith  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  neither  will  I  accept  an  offering  at  your  hand." 
And  when  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  is  withheld  from 
such  a  people,  as  it  ever  must  be,  how  apt  they  are  to 
suppose  that  it  is  for  want  of  power  with  God  in  their 
minister !  But,  though  the  most  holy  minister  that 
ever  filled  the  sacred  desk,  or  even  Gabriel  from  the 
throne  of  God  direct,  should  minister  to  such  a  people, 


84  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


Who  can  bless  when  God  curses  ?  A  revival  prayed  for.  Why  delayed  ? 


it  were  in  vain  to  supplicate  the  blessing  of  God.  God 
has  pronounced  a  curse  on  those  who  offer  polluted  bread 
upon  his  altar.  And  who  can  minister  blessings  to 
those,  upon  whom  God  has  pronounced  curses,  unless 
they  will  first  repent  and  forsake  their  covetous 
practices  ? 


tmtmt 


"Htltg  is  \m  ^tonot  so  tonj  in  rowing?" 


I  am  thankful  to  learn  that  you  are,  with  such  ardent 
longings,  looking  for  a  revival  of  religion.  May  the 
Lord  give  my  dear  brother  the  desire  of  his  heart  in 
seeing  the  church  quickened,  and  in  beholding  repen- 
tant sinners  brought  home  to  Christ.  To  rejoice  in  this 
is  to  rejoice  in  the  joy  of  Christ  and  of  angels.  It  was 
the  joy  of  Christ  to  see  many  sons  brought  to  glory. 
Angels  rejoice  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth. 

I  do  not  think  that  your  heavenly  Father  will  reprove 
you  for  your  earnestness  in  this  behalf.  But  "Ye  have 
need  of  patience." 

* 

Perhaps  the  chariot  wheels  are  waiting  in  order  that 
the  church  may  be  better  prepared  for  the  weighty 
responsibility  that  an  ingathering  to  the  fold  of  Christ 
ever  imposes.  Nursing  fathers  and  mothers  are  as  much 
needed  in  the  family  relation  of  heaven,  as  in  the  family 
relation  of  earth.  How  soon  would  the  new-born  in- 
fant languish  and  die  if  it  were  not  for  the  most  careful 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  85 


Additions  to. the  church  may  be  useless.  A  cheap  gospel. 


and  minute  assiduities  of  those  to  whom  it  is  entrusted  i 
Alas !  how  often  do  babes,  born  into  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  languish  and  die  for  want  of  the  pains-taking 
assiduities  of  holy  love ! 

For  want  of  a  holy,  zealous  membership,  not  unfre- 
quently  has  much  of  the  the  fruit  of  a  revival  been  lost. 
Though  weight  may  have  been  added  to  the  church  in 
numbers,  yet,  in  this,  the  church  is  not  advantaged,  un- 
less her  membership,  in  their  individual  capacity,  be  as 
lights  in  the  world.  Every  member  who  is  not  a  light 
which  may  be  safely  followed,  tarnishes  her  glory,  and 
retards  her  triumphant  march  towards  those  higher  re- 
gions of  light  and  glory  into  which  God  intends  that 
she  shall,  ere  long,  merge. 


m»i 


dpturch  JPoMrfg  £*lfl-imjj<)8flL 


How  much  shall  we  give  to  relieve  it  ? 

I  have  long  felt  that  we  are  but  stewards ;  and, 
whether  the  Lord  would  have  us  appropriate  means  to 
sustain  churches  the  financial  condition  of  whose  mem- 
bership requires  that  they  should  sustain  themselves, 
and  where  the  people  are  suffering  from  penuriousness 
just  as  much  as  the  church  is  suffering  from  debt,  has 
often  placed  me  in  embarrassing  circumstances.  Not  to 
give  when  solicited  is  always  a  trial  ;  but  to  give  to 
cnurches  who   want  a  cheap  gospel  is   doing  them  no 


80  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Many  calls.  The  man  who  is  reputed  rich.  Ilis  rule  of  giving 

favor,  and  is  making  me,  in  the  eye  of  God,  an  unwise 
steward.  Rather  would  I  be  in  the  place  of  the  hea- 
then, who  know  not  the  gospel,  than  in  the  place  of 
those  who  put  so  light  an  estimate  upon  it  as  to  be 
unwilling  to  make  sacrifices  of  time  and  money  for  its 
support.      We  have  hundreds  of  calls   for  expenditures 

of  both  time  and  money  in  this  city,  of  which  our 

friends  can  know  but  little.  The  poor,  from  almost 
every  lane  and  alley  in  our  city,  are  calling  for  aid  ; 
not  only  our  own  poor,  but  we  have,  as  you  know, 
an  influx  of  the  destitute  from  almost  every  nation 
under  heaven.  We  have  not  only  the  churches  where 
we  worship  to  sustain,  the  most  of  which  are  largely  in 
debt,  but  we  sustain  several  mission  stations,  besides 
entertaining  scores  of  calls  from  destitute  portions  of  the 
land,  where  the  church  is  breaking  up  new  ground. 
To  give,  under  circumstances  of  this  sort,  is  blessed  — 
far  more  blessed  than  to  receive.  The  one  of  whom 
you  speak,  who  is  reputed  rich,  is  not  rich  according  to 
the  worldling's  acceptation  of  that  term.  The  reason 
why  some  have  thought  him  rich  is  probably  the  fact 
that  he  endeavors  to  give  according  as  the  Lord  pros- 
pers him ;  that  is,  he  does  not  increase  his  personal 
and  domestic  expenditures  as  his  means  increase,  but 
economizes  in  these  that  he  may  give  to  the  cause  of 
Christ  as  God  has  prospered  him.  He  who  does  not 
do  this  is  not  a  Bible  Christian  in  this  regard.  I  know 
he  gives  one  hundred  dollars  yearly  to  one  foreign  sta- 
tion alone,  has  done  it  for  years  past,  and  expects  to  do 
it,  should  the  Lord  spare  him,  for   years  to   come.     In 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  87 


No  help  for  the  indolent-        Dollars  and  souls.        Case  of  the  Indian  church. 


the  church  where  he  holds  his  own  relation,  he  has 
probably  paid  two  or  three  hundred  dollars  during  the 
past  year,  while  scores  of  other  calls  have  made  demands 

on  his  purse.     But  as  to  the    church  in ,  I  think 

he  would  say  that  even  one  dollar  is  too  much  to  give 
to  a  people  who  know  the  excellency  of  the  gospel,  but 
are  unwilling  to  give  of  their  own  means  for  its  sup- 
port. 


r  m*m* 


%  fgmutml  mi  Jpftg  guitars  and  Wxvdw  jtomls. 


The  coupling  of  dollars  and  souls  thus  may  look  sin- 
gular, but,  when  the  results  of  time  are  summed  up  in 
the  light  of  eternity,  it  will  doubtless  appear  that  they 
have  often  sustained  a  connection  unthought  of  at  the 
time.  Shall  I  illustrate  my  meaning  by  an  incident  of 
recent  occurrence  ? 

Some  time  since,  a  missionary  from  a  distant  Indian 
settlement  visited  our  city  for  the  purpose  of  raising 
funds,  to  resuscitate  a  church  edifice  which  had  been 
well-nigh  ruined  by  a  freshet.  The  call  was  one  which 
so  evidently  ought  to  be  met,  that  no  one  doubted  a  ready 
response.  Said  one,  belonging  to  a  church  which, 
according  to  its  means,  had  met  a  variety  of  calls 
with  surprising  promptness,  "  We  have  been  doing  so 
much  for  others  that  I  fear  we  do  not  look  sufficiently  at 
home.      An  application  will,  of  course,  be  mar'e  to  our 


88  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  application.  The  answer.  The  rejoinder. 


Board  of  Trustees  for  this  object,  but  here  is  this,  and 
the  other  church  of  our  city,  who  has  a  membership 
able  to  buy  us  out  fifty  or  a  hundred  times  over.  It  is 
not  reason  that  we  should  so  often  be  entertaining  col- 
lections of  this  sort  when  there  are  churches  so  much 
more  able  to  do  it."  About  thus  the  matter  stood,  when 
the  weary,  worn  missionary  brother  made  application  for 
a  collection,  as  had  been  anticipated.  "  Your  call  ought 
to  be  met,"  said  the  one  addressed,  soothingly ;  "  but, 
brother,  why  do  you  not  first  go  to  churches  far  more 
able  to  give  than  ourselves  ?  "  mentioning  several  such. 
The  missionary  replied,  "  I  have  been  to  these,  but 
such  are  their  own  embarrassments  that  they  can  do 
nothing  for  me."  One  of  these  had  just  contracted  a 
debt  of  seven  hundred  dollars  for  the  fresco  painting  of 
its  walls  alone,  beside  other  large  expenditures,  amount- 
ing to  four  or  five  thousand  dollars  for  matters  perhaps 
equally  important.  Of  course,  he  could  not  urge  a  col- 
lection under  such  embarrassments.  "  Come,"  said  the 
person  addressed,  "  if  I  can  have  any  influence  towards 
getting  you  a  collection  at  our  church,  you  shall  have 
it."  "  Not  many  of  the  mighty  or  noble  have  been 
called  among  us,  yet  our  people  give  nobly."  "Hardly 
can  I  account  for  our  ability  to  give  as  we  do,  only  that 
the  Lord  blesses  us  in  giving."  "Indeed,  I  have  re- 
garded our  remarkable  religious  prosperity  as  connected 
with  this  matter."  "  We  have  no  organ  to  be  paid  for, 
nor  organist  to  pay,  nor  money  to  lay  out  for  fresco 
painting,  or  other  mere  decorations."  "  But  dollars  with 
us  look  very  small,  when  an  expenditure  of  money  may 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  89 


The  collection.  The  divine  blessing.  Twelve  conversions. 


tell  on  the  salvation  of  souls.  And  since  our  more 
wealthy  brethren  cannot  make  up  your  deficiency,  we 
take  satisfaction  in  doing  it." 

The  collection  being  announced  for  the  next  Sabbath 
morning,  the  missionary  came.  The  cloud  of  the 
divine  presence  rested  down  upon  the  congregation  to 
an  unusual  degree.  The  people  gave,  because  they  had 
a  mind  to  give.  In  a  few  moments,  the  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  were  announced,  and  more  could  as 
readily  have  been  obtained  had  it  been  needful. 

"  God  will  bless  a  people  who  give  after  this  sort," 
said  an  individual  present.  And  God  did  bless.  That 
day,  the  work  of  revival,  with  which  that  church  had, 
for  months,  been  blessed,  received  a  new  impulse,  and, 
ere  its  close,  it  was  found  that  twelve  souls  had  been  con- 
verted. We  well  knew  that  we  had  merited  nothing, 
and  m  humbleness  of  mind  before  God  could  only  say, 
"  Of  thine  own  have  we  given  thee."  But  we  felt, 
in  our  hearts,  that  the  temple  of  Solomon  could  not  have 
been  more  evidently  blessed  with  tokens  of  the  divine 
presence  than  our  unadorned,  yet  commodious,  temple 
had  been  on  that  day.  When  one  said,  at  the  close  of 
the  day,  "  Should  we  not  have  been  losers  had  we  re- 
fused that  collection, — one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
and  twelve  souls  ?  "  our  hearts  said,  "  Let  us  live  and 
die  with  a  people  who  have  not  so  many  artificial  wants 
as  to  put  up  the  bar  against  applications  from  necessitous 
churches."  And  inexpressibly  glad  were  we  that  the 
woe  of  which   Mr.  Wesley  speaks   had  not  yet   fallen 


8* 


00  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Stained  windows  ani  fresco  paintings.  What  a  lawyer  said. 

upon  us,  when  rich  men  should  become  necessaiy  to 
us. 

Should  we  not  think  our  Quaker  friends  had  lowered 
the  dignity  of  their  position  if,  in  order  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  the  more  wealthy,  they  should  deem  it  neces- 
sary to  build  churches  with  lofty  spires,  stained  window- 
glass,  and  fresco  paintings  ?  And,  as  an  individual,  I 
know  that  there  are  those  of  other  denominations  who 
are  looking  down  with  pity  upon  us  in  view  of  the  inno- 
vations of  this  description  which  are  now  coining  in  upon 
us.  But,  alas  !  how  prone  we  are  to  incline,  with 
God's  ancient,  peculiar  people,  to  say,  "  Make  us  a  king 
that  we  may  be  like  to  the  nations  that  are  about  us  "  ! 
God  had  designed  that  they  should  stand  alone,  and,  by 
their  exhibitions  of  glory  and  strength,  attract  the  eyes 
of  surrounding  nations  to  them  ;  and  how  sadly  did  they 
mistake  the  mark  in  coming  over  to  the  usages  of  other 
nations  instead  of  bringing  other  nations  over  to  them  ! 
What  a  coming  down  was  this  !  Said  a  lawyer,  one  ol 
the  most  intelligent  and  influential  men  residing  in  one 
of  our  large  cities,  "  Our  Methodist  friends  mistake  the 
matter   when   they   come    down   from   their  simplicity. 

1  now  and  then  get  into  one  of  their  little  social  meet- 
ings to  hear  an  old  Methodist  brother  speak.  I  sup- 
pose some  might  call  him  illiterate ;  but  there  is  more; 
divinity  in  one  of  his  simple  recitals  of  experience  than 
in  most  of  the  sermons  I  hear."  He  then  gave  his 
views  in  regard  to  our  departures  from  our  well-known 
original  simplicity  in  building  and  decorating  churches, 
in  language  much  as  above  expressed.     May  the   Lord 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  91 


The  best  test.  A  direct  way  to  the  light.  Mi .  C. 

save  us  from  being  influenced  by  the  opinions  of  men 
who  would  have  us  build  Methodist  cathedrals,  and 
who  refer  us  back  to  the  temple  of  Solomon  as  a  model 
for  a  place  of  Christian  worship. 


xi» 


Site "  longer  Mag  "  and  "  jHwrter  Mag  "  tested. 


Experience  is  the  best  test.  I  am  not  fond  of  dis- 
cussion on  the  plain  Bible  doctrine  of  Christian  holi- 
ness,— a  doctrine  which  the  Scriptures  have  made  so 
plain  that  "  the  way-faring  men,  though  fools,  shall  not 
err  therein."  To  my  mind,  there  seems  to  be  a  direct, 
and  not  a  circuitous  way  of  coming  to  the  light  on  this, 
the  crowning  doctrine  of  the  Bible,  and  the  most  dis- 
tinctive doctrine  of  Methodism.  "  If  any  man  will  do 
his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine."  If  he  does  not 
do  his  will,  and  specifically  seek  to  obey  the  command, 
"Be  ye  holy,"  have  we  a  Bible  reason  for  believing 
that  he  does  know  of  the  doctrine  ?  And  if  he  does  not 
experimentally  know  of  the  doctrine,  would  it  not  be 
better  for  him  to  pause,  and,  either  by  the  longer  or 
the  shorter  way,  come  into  the  enjoyment  of  the  wit- 
ness of  this  grace,  as  did  the  now  sainted  minister,  who, 
as  I  am  about  to  relate,  fairly  tried  both  the  longer  and 
the  shorter  ways  ? 

Mr.  C,  when  quite  young  as  a  minister,  felt  that  he 
was  called  of  God  to  be  a  man  of  clean  hands  and  a  pure 


9£  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  blessing  lost.  "  The  longer  way  "  tested.  The  resolution. 

heart.  He  sought,  with  all  his  heart,  this  preparation 
for  the  duties  of  his  holy  calling,  and  quickly  felt  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  bore  witness  with  his  spirit  that  the  work 
was  wrought.  Shortly  afterwards,  being  at  a  meeting  in 
the  old  John  St.  Church  in  New  York,  he  felt  it  his 
duty  to  confess  that  God  had  sanctified  him  wholly. 
He  shrunk  from  the  duty,  and  lost  the  blessing  just  as 
Fletcher  did,  and  as  hundreds  of  others  have  lost  it 
since  his  day. 

He  felt  keenly  his  loss,  and  spoke  of  it  with  much 
regret,  but  did  not  regain  it  again  till  after  the  lapse  of 
twenty  years.  Daring  these  twenty  years,  he  never 
lost  his  deep  interest  in  the  subject,  but  sought  it  by 
fasting,  prayer,  and  tears.  Fasting,  prayers,  and  tears, 
are  all  good,  and  all  helpful ;  but  they  will  not  take  the 
place  of  saving  faith.  One  act  of  faith  can  raise  the 
dead  to  life,  and  can  do  more  for  us  than  twenty  years 
of  groans  and  tears  without  it.  "  Without  faith,  it  is 
impossible  to  please  God."  If  ever  any  one  effectually 
tried  the  longer  way,  this  eminent  minister  of  Christ 
did.  I  might  give  the  results  of  this  trial  of  twenty 
years  more  in  detail,  for  he  was  my  chosen  friend,  and  I 
have  rather  a  minute  knowledge  of  the  whole  experi- 
ment ;  but  I  forbear.  Many  of  my  dear  brethren  in 
Christ,  who  will  read  these  lines,  are  already  but  too 
well  acquainted  with  this  oft-trodden  and  re-trodden 
ground  to  need  a  detailed  account  of  what  would  be  but 
a  transcript  of  their  own  painful  experiences.  Suffice 
it  to  say,  that  this  brother  beloved  in  Christ  resolved 
subsequently  to  try  the  "  shorter  way." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION 


Advice.  The  open  fountain  Wesley  on  conviction. 


I  was  present,  and  well  remember  just  how  he  came 
to  make  the  resolve,  and  with  what  feelings  and  words 
he  ventured  to  experiment  on  the  shorter  way.  And, 
before  God,  I  adjure  every  minister  of  Christ  to  go  and 
do  likewise,  if  they  shall  find  that  the  result  of  the 
experiment,  in  the  case  of  my  friend,  proved  it  to  be  of 
God. 

Mr.  C.  was  at  the  house  of  a  Christian  friend  with 
whom  he  had,  for  a  score  of  years,  been  conversant. 
The  conversation  turned,  as  it  had  often  done  before,  on 
the  subject  of  present  and  full  salvation.  The  friend 
spoke  of  the  fountain  open  in  the  house  of  David, — of 
the  privilege  of  every  sincere  and  earnest  believer  to 
plunge  at  once  into  this  ever-open  fountain.  Mr.  C. 
replied  in  a  manner  somewhat  chilling  for  him  to  the 
heart  of  his  ardent  friend  : 

"  Sister, — I  have  a  great  veneration  for  the  teachings 
of  Mr.  Wesley.  No  man,  since  the  days  of  the  apos- 
tles, has,  in  my  opinion,  come  nearer  inspiration  than  he. 
And  Mr.  Wesley  says,  '  The  soul  is  often  more  painfully 
convicted  previous  to  receiving  the  blessing  of  sanctifi- 
cation  than  previous  to  receiving  the  blessing  of  justifi- 
cation.' It  seems  to  me  that  I  have  never  had  those 
painful  convictions  that  Mr.  Wesley  speaks  of."  Said 
his  friend : 

"  Brother  C,  I  have  known  you  over  twenty  years, 
and  seldom  have  I  seen  you  but  you  have  said  something 
expressive  of  your  painful  convictions  and  your  deep 
feeling  on  the  subject  of  holiness.  Now,  suppose  all 
the  painful  convictions   of  the  past  twenty  years  were 


ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


jsitions  and  responses.  "  Do  you  think  he  would  save  you? ' 


jred  up  within  the  compass  of  a  few  months,  would 
A  these  amount  to  painful  convictions  ?  " 

"  Indeed  they  would  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

'*  Well,  some  are  not  convicted  over  a  few  months  for 
this  blessing,  and  others  not  over  a  few  weeks.  Now 
if  all  the  feeling  you  have  had  on  this  subject  were 
brought  up  within  the  compass  of  a  few  weeks,  would  it 
not  be  painful  conviction  ?  " 

"  O,  it  would  indeed  have  been  most  painful !  " 

His  friend  then  remarked,  that  many  were  not  con- 
victed over  a  few  days  for  this  blessing, —  that  the  light 
discovering  inbred  corruption  burst  suddenly  upon  them. 
"  And  now,  Brother  C,  imagine  what  might  be  the 
amount  of  your  pain  if  all  the  conviction  you  have  had, 
during  the  past  twenty  years,  were  condensed  within  the 
compass  of  a  few  short  days." 

His  very  nature  shuddered  at  the  thought  of  what 
must  be  the  poignancy  of  such  long-continued  feeling, 
if  thus  concentrated,  and  he  fairly  yielded  the  point. 

His  friend,  knowing  that  neither  tears,  earnestness, 
nor  conviction  are  our  Savior,  that  Christ  is  the  only 
Savior,  and  that  one  plunge  into  the  open  fountain  can 
do  more  towards  cleansing  the  soul  from  sin  than  rivers 
of  tears,  earnestly  inquired, — 

"  Brother  C,  if  you  knew  you  were  going  to  die  in  two 
minutes,  what  would  you  do  ?  " 

"  I  would  cast  myself  on  the  infinite  merits  of  my 
Savior  !  "  he  quickly  responded. 

"  Do  you  think  he  would  save  you  ?  " 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION. 
'•  What,  from  all  sin  ?  "  A  man  cornered.         The  only  way  into  the  holit  ' 

"  Yes,  I,  even  I,  through   his  precious  merits,  woulu 
be  saved  !  " 

What,  from  all  sin  ?  " 
Yes, 

'  From  all  iniquity,  from  all 
He  would  my  soul  redeem.'  " 


t%  What !  without  any  more  conviction  ?  "  exclaimed 
his  friend. 

At  this  point,  he  manifested  much  emotion,  and, 
amid  tears  and  smiles,  exclaimed  : — 

"  O,  sister,  you  have  cornered  me  !  '  He  now  saw 
where  his  error  had  been,  in  taking  the  "  longer  way," 
when,  in  less  than  two  minutes,  he  might,  at  any  period 
during  his  earnest  religious  career,  have  cast  himself 
wholly  on  the  infinite  merits  of  his  Savior,  and  been 
saved  at  once  from  all  sin.  And,  now  that  he  perceived 
his  error,  he  delayed  not,  but  at  once  cast  himself  as 
fully  and  everlastingly  on  Christ  as,  perhaps,  he  would 
have  done,  if  he  had  been  about  to  take  a  leap  into  the 
eternal  world.  The  moment  he  did  this,  he  consciously 
realized  that  he  was  saved  fully,  and  was  enabled  to 
testify  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 

On  the  evening  of  that  day,  I  heard  him  testify, 
before  a  large  congregation,  in  one  of  our  city  churches, 
of  the  blessedness  of  the  one  and  only  way  into  the  holiest 
— by  virtue  of  a  present  and  entire  reliance  on  Christ. 
And  is  not  this  the  present  duty  of  every  believer  ?  Does 
God  leave  it  to  our  choice  whether  we  will  now  obey  the 
command — whether  we  will  now  be  holy  or  not  ?  Surely, 
brethren,  it  is  not  left  optional  with  ourselves  whether  we 


ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


- 


inefficiency.  "  Be  ye  clean."  Wesley  on  early  sanctifications. 

, — , . 

take  the  longer  or  the  shorter  way.  God  commands 
resent  holiness.  The  early  apostles  did  not  need  this 
grace  more  than  ourselves.  Our  inefficiency  from  not 
having  earlier  obtained  this  grace  will,  I  fear,  tell  in  the 
loss  of  souls.  Dear  ambassador  for  Christ,  how  many 
more  souls  might  you  have  been  instrumental  in  saving, 
had  you  entered  into  the  enjoyment  of  this  grace  when 
God  first  called  you  by  his  Spirit,  saying,  "  Be  ye  clean 
that  bear  the  vessels  of  the  Lord  " !  Would  you  not 
have  been  instrumental  in  saving  more  souls  if  you  had 
been  filled  with  the  power  of  inward  holiness  ?  What  has 
become  of  these  souls  who  might  thus  have  been  saved  1 
Is  there  not  danger  that  God  may  require  their  blood  at 
your  hands  ?  Surely,  you  have  already  lingered  quite 
too  long.  Redeem  the  time.  If  God  says  to  you  now, 
"  Be  ye  holy,"  he  does  not  mean  to-morrow.  Opinions 
of  men  about  a  longer  or  a  shorter  way  will  furnish  no 
excuse  on  points  where  the  Bible  is  so  clear.  Hear 
Wesley,  as  he  mingles  Bible  admonition  and  cogent 
argument :  M  Now,  with  God,  one  day  is  as  a  thousand 
years.  It  plainly  follows,  that  the  quantity  of  time  is 
nothing  to  him.  Centuries,  years,  months,  days,  hours, 
and  moments,  are  exactly  the  same.  Consequently, 
he  can  as  well  sanctify  in  a  day  after  we  are  justified  as 
in  a  hundred  years.  There  is  no  difference  at  all  un- 
less we  suppose  him  to  be  one  with  ourselves.  Accord- 
ingly, we  see,  in  fact,  that  some  of  the  most  unquestion- 
able witnesses  of  sanctifying  grace  were  sanctified  within 
a  few  days  after  they  were  justified." — Wesley  s  Works, 
Vol.  vii.  p.  14.    If  these  are  fair  deductions  from  scrip- 


ECONOMY      OF      iJi/ATION.  &l 

K  solemn  question.        The  church  and  young  converts.        Individual  responsihility. 


ture  and  experience,  what  is  your  state  to-day  before 
God  ?  And  are  you  sure  that  some  of  these,  who  may 
have  been  following  your  example  in  not  going  over  to 
possess  this  good  land,  may  not  have  stumbled  over  you, 
and  Mien  to  rise  no  more  ? 


tm»m* 


%  ftomrcl  mag  it  xmihMA  in  Jftmsj, 


Yes,  an  unholy  membership  clogs  the  chariot  wheels 
of  the  church,  and  prevents  her  aggressive  movements. 
Unless  a  devoted,  earnest  membership  undertakes  to 
lead  forth  those  who  are  newly-born  to  Zion,  how  un- 
likely are  the  new-born  babes  to  retain  the  ardors  of 
their  first  love !  How  soon  does  the  world  resume  its 
hold  on  the  heart !  and  it  is  thus  that  the  church  is  so 
much  burdened  with  the  spiritually  dead.  But  on  whom 
does  the  guilt  lie  ?  Where  may  the  blood  of  these 
souls  be  found  ?     Of  whom  will  God  require  it  ? 

O,  indeed,  an  ingathering  of  precious  lambs  into  the 
fold  does  bring  vast  responsibilities  on  the  individual 
members  of  a  church.  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  it  is 
often  in  mercy  to  the  church  that  God  does  not  hear  her 
oft-repeated  prayer  for  a  revival.  In  view  of  this,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  we  are  divinely  admonished  that  "judg- 
ment must  begin  at  the  house  of  God."  It  is  not  sur- 
prising that  the  disciples  were  required  to  wait  until 
endued  with  power  from  on  high. 


98  ILLUSTfc.xIONS      OF      THE 


Nursing  parents.       Let  the  church  prepare  herself.      No  time  lost  at  Pentecost. 


If  the  church  is  first  filled  with  the  spirit  of  Christ, 
and  then,  by  his  constraining  love,  is  brought  to  feel  a 
travail  of  soul  for  the  perishing,  with  what  carefulness 
will  her  members,  thus  constrained,  watch  over  those 
born  into  the  family  of  Christ  through  their  instrumen- 
tality !  Where  a  church  is  in  such  a  case,  nursing 
fathers  and  mothers  are  not  wanting. 

If  the  church  is  ready  for  her  increased  responsibility, 
I  do  not  doubt,  my  dear  brother,  that  you  will  soon 
see  the  enlarged  —  "  the  almost  impatient  desire  '  of 
your  heart  granted.  If  the  church  is  not  ready,  I  pray 
you,  for  the  Lord's  sake,  be  instant,  in  season  and  out^ 
of  season,  in  pleading  with  her,  and  with  God  in  her 
behalf,  that  she  prepare  herself  for  the  work  of  soul- 


saving. 


Tell  her  that  God  waits  to  endue  her  with  power 
from  on  high.  Tell  her  that,  if  she  would  be  thus 
endued,  she  must  wait  specifically  before  God  in  this 
behalf  as  did  the  early  disciples.  After  they  had  seen 
three  thousand  pricked  to  the  heart  in  one  day,  hoMrever, 
I  presume  they  did  not  think  that  the  time  they  had 
spent  in  waiting  to  be  endued  with  power  had  been  lost. 
Perhaps  some  of  them  might  have  been  impatient,  but 
they  waited,  and  the  power  came.  So  will  it  be  with  the 
church  in  the  present  day. 

Let  the  church  get  in  readiness,  and  then  show  her 
readiness  by  laboring  for  and  with  souls,  and  more  may 
be  done  by  her,  in  a  prepared  state,  in  one  week,  than 
might  before  have  been  accomplished  by  the  labor  of 
months. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  99 


The  question  is  with  the  church.  Leading  trait  in  the  character  of  Hedding. 


I  pray  that  the  Lord  may  give  you  grace  to  continue 
earnest  in  effort  for  the  salvation  of  sinners.  And  may 
he  also  empower  you  for  yet  greater  faithfulness  to  the 
church  by  way  of  arousing  her  to  a  sense  of  her  respon- 
sibilities, for,  with  her,  I  do  not  doubt,  rests  the  question, 
whether  God  shall  work  mightily  among  you  in  the 
awakening  and  conversion  of  sinners. 


■  <t» « 


Sfest  fags  of  Utetorjr  Je&thyj, 


I  suppose  the  first  point  in  the  character  of  our  late 
venerable  Hedding  to  strike  even  a  casual  observer 
would  be,  his  perfect  simplicity  of  character — his  evi- 
dent oneness  of  purpose.  If  his  deep  piety  had  not 
marked  him  for  a  leading  spirit  in  the  circles  of  piety, 
his  excellent  common  sense,  and  the  ingenuousness  of 
his  affectionate  heart,  would  have  drawn  around  him  a 
circle  of  honest  hearts,  ready  to  acknowledge  him  as 
their  unaspiring  leader.  What  some  may  speak  of  as 
his  native  dignity,  was,  to  my  mind,  the  offspring  of  this 
perfect  ingenuousness.  Religiously  and  morally,  he 
was  transparent.  Who  ever  heard  of  Bishop  H.  being 
accused  of  disguised  motives  ? 

His  heart  seemed  ever  as  a  deep  well-spring,  whose 
gushings  forth  were  spontaneous  issues  of  "  Peace  upon 
earth  and  good  will  towards  men."  I  do  not  doubt 
that,  from  an  early  period  in  his  religious  career,  he  was 


100  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE. 


A  personal  interview.  Incidents  of  early  life  detailed.  Inferences. 


wholly  sanctified  to  God.  Several  weeks  before  his 
departure  for  heaven, — the  bishop  wishing  to  have  Dr. 
P's  professional  services, — we  went  to  Poughkeepsie  to 
see  him.  During  our  visit,  he  detailed  his  early  experi- 
ence, his  call  to  the  ministry  and  subsequent  passages  of 
his  life.  When  he  set  out  as  a  seeker  of  salvation,  he 
sought  with  all  his  heart.  His  readiness  in  obeying  the 
call  of  the  Spirit,  his  marked  and  thorough  conversion, 
and  his  prompt  obedience  to  the  monitions  of  the  Spirit  in 
relation  to  preaching  the  gospel,  remind  one  forcibly 
of  the  early  apostles,  who,  at  the  call  of  the  Savior, 
"immediately  forsook  all,  and  followed  him."  After 
he  became  a  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  appears 
to  have  been  conscious  of  no  mental  reservations  in  the 
service  of  God.  He  had  learned  that  there  was  no  way 
to  retain  a  state  of  freedom  from  condemnation  but  by 
carefully  following  the  Holy  Spirit.  From  his  obser- 
vations on  this  occasion,  I  am  confident  he  had  no  sym- 
pathy with  those  low  views  of  justification  which  lead 
some  who  profess  this  attainment  to  imagine  that  they 
can  indulge  in  conscious  reservations  on  various  points 
in  duty,  because  they  only  profess  justification.  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  noticed  a  more  marked  observance 
and  readiness  in  following  the  monitions  of  the  spirit 
without  conferring  with  flesh  and  blood,  than  in  the  case 
of  Bishop  H.  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  it  was  attributa- 
ble to  this  that  he  very  early,  and  perhaps  almost  im- 
perceptibly, was  ushered  into  the  enjoyment  of  perfect 
love.  That  he  loved  God  with  all  his  heart,  he  over 
and  again  affirmed  during  this  conversation.      And  if  to 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  101 


Bishop  H.  a  professor  of  perfect  love     Views  of  depravity.    Victory  over  fear  of  death. 


profess  to  love  God  with  all  the  heart  is  to  profess  per- 
fect love,  then  Bishop  H.  was  indeed  a  witness  of  perfect 
love.  He  also  observed  that  he  had  long  loved  the  Lord 
thus, — that  he  did  not  know  that  he  could  speak  of  a 
time,  since  he  commenced  his  religious  life,  but  he  had 
felt  that  the  service  of  God  was  his  chief  delight,  and 
he  had  loved  the  Lord  better  than  any  other  object. 
But  he  did  not  find,  in  getting  to  a  state  where  he  loved 
the  Lord  with  all  Ins  heart,  that  he  had  arrived  at  a 
point  at  which  he  might  pause.  His  course  was  steadily 
onward.  As  he,  on  this  occasion,  was  remembering  the 
way  by  which  the  Lord  had  brought  him,  his  eyes  often 
filled  with  tears,  and  his  inmost  heart  seemed  penetrated 
with  the  love  and  the  condescension  of  Christ.  With  a 
vividness  of  conception  which  I  have  seldom  if  evei 
known  equalled,  he  dwelt  upon  the  deep  depravity  of 
the  unrenewed  heart,  the  odiousness  of  sin,  the  need  of 
the  atonement,  and  its  infinite  efficiency.  O,  with  what 
loathing  he  looked  upon  self  in  all  its  forms  apart  trom 
the  renewings  of  grace  !  His  spiritual  altitude  was  well 
expressed  in  the  words  — 

"  I  loathe  myself  when  God  I  see, 
And  into  nothing  fall, 
Content  if  thou  exalted  be, 
And  Christ  be  all  in  all." 

He  related  the  incidents  of  his  first  serious  attack, 
when  suddenly  deprived  of  speech,  and  threatened  with 
immediate  dissolution  without  scarce  a  moment's  warn- 
ing. His  perfect  composure  of  mind,  and  his  happy 
consciousness    of  entire  trust    and    rest    in  Christ,   Ha 

9* 


102  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


An  uncomplaining  sufferer.  Dreadful  satanic  onset. 


regarded  as  a  blessed  dispensation  of  grace  to  help  in 
time  of  need.  Though  his  speech  returned,  and  he 
recovered  from  the  severity  of  this  attack,  yet  he  never 
regained  his  former  state  of  health.  From  this  period 
he  became,  for  most  of  the  time,  a  great  sufferer. 
Said  he  to  Mrs.  H.,  "  I  bear  great  burdens  ; "  but 
then  again  he  would  speak  of  the  supports  of  grace  as 
far  outweighing  all.  Said  Mrs.  H.  to  me,  "  Though  he 
suffered  so  severely  and  so  long,  yet  never  did  I,  during 
his  illness,  hear  an  impatient  word,  or  a  murmur  of 
complaint." 

He  remarked  to  us  that,  for  weeks  subsequent  to  his  first 
attack,  he  was  so  kept  from  the  power  of  the  adversary  that 
Satan  was  not  permitted  to  approach  him  with  a  single 
temptation.  As  a  veteran  on  the  Christian  battle-field, 
he  seemed  to  have  fought  his  last  battle  with  the  tempt- 
er, and  all  seemed  about  to  be  hushed  in  eternal  peace, 
when  suddenly  the  tempter  made  an  onset  more  terrible 
than  may  be  described.  To  use  his  own  words,  it  "  baf- 
fled description  ;  "  and,  for  malignity,  subtlety  and  power, 
was  far  beyond  any  thing  he  had  ever  endured.  It 
seemed  as  if  Satan  had  mustered  his  forces  to  wrest  from 
him  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God. 
He  observed,  "  Of  all  the  acute  reasonings  of  the  most 
subtle  and  refined  infidel  writers,  never  have  I  met  with 
any  thing,  which  would  compare  with  the  awful  sugges- 
tions of  this  occasion."  The  shafts  of  Satan  were  lev- 
elled against  his  repose  in  the  promises,  the  authenticity 
of  the  word  of  God,  and  the  entire  scheme  of  man's 
tcdemption    through    Christ.     Well,    the    conflict    was 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  103 


Victory.        Composure  in  view  of  instant  death.        Gentleness.        Benevolence. 


with  a  man  of  God,  and  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
adversary  should  have  mustered  the  spirits  most  daring 
in  fiendish  subtlety  of  all  in  hell  for  the  last  conflict 
with  one  who  had  so  long  been  a  prominent  leader  of 
God's  sacramental  hosts.  After  this,  Satan  seemed  to 
leave  him  to  undisturbed  repose  in  Christ. 

The  tests  of  the  graces  of  the  Spirit  were  constant  and 
severe.  But  all  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  he  appeared  to 
possess  in  perfect  maturity,  so  that  I  do  not  doubt  but 
that  he  was  perfect  and  entire,  wanting  nothing.  To 
him  the  sting  of  death  was  gone.  Said  he  to  my  hus- 
band, with  a  cheerful  air,  "  Doctor,  I  think  I  am  liable 
to  be  taken  suddenly,  perhaps  without  a  moment's  warn- 
ing ;  you  may,  perhaps,  think  me  hypochondriacal,  but  do 
vou  not  think  so  ?"  My  husband  assured  him  that  he 
was  wholly  with  him  in  opinion  in  regard  to  his  expos- 
ure to  instant  death,  and  he  received  the  additional  con- 
firmation with  as  much  happy  composure  as  if  he  had 
been  told  that  he  was  likely  to  live  and  labor  a  score  of 
years.  I  observed  great  gentleness  of  manner,  and 
exceeding  carefulness  about  the  comfort  of  others,  as 
though  he  would  lighten  their  burdens  to  the  last  iota 
that  his  physical  ability  would  allow.  He  sat  at  table 
with  us,  and  though,  from  asthmatic  oppression,  it  was 
difficult  for  him  to  converse,  yet  he  could  not  have  been 
unconscious  of  the  satisfaction  he  was  imparting  ;  and 
such  was  the  power  of  the  gracious  words  that  fell  from 
his  lips,  that  he  doubtless  still  found  it  more  blessed  to 
give  than  to  receive.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  chastened 
heavenly  exhilaration  of  his  manner  on  this  occasion. 


104  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  parting.  Lamb-like  patience  in  pain.  The  widow  of  "  our  Elijah." 

Truly  did  he  seem  to  be  filled  with  all  goodness. 
Neither  can  I  forget  his  fervent  apostolic  benediction, 
"  God  bless  you  !  "  We  parted  with  some  hope  of 
again  meeting  on  earth.  Soon  after  our  return  home, 
Mrs.  Hedding  concluded  a  letter  to  us,  by  saying,  "  Mr. 
H.  enjoys  great  composure  of  mind,  and,  as  he  often  says 

'  When  pain  o'er  my  weak  flesh  prevails, 
With  lamb-like  patience  arm  my  breast,' 

so  it  evidently  is  with  him.  But  (),  the  thought  of  that 
hour  when  I  shall  hear  his  voice  no  more  !  Then  my 
soul  shall  put  its  trust  in  God,  and  •  under  the  shadow 
of  his  wings  will  I  make  my  refuge.'  " 

Well,  that  solemn  hour  has  come,  and  the  bereaved 
companion  of  our  Elijah,  whom  the  heavens  have  received, 
is  left  in  widowhood.  May  the  prayers  of  a  bereaved 
church  be  answered  in  her  behalf. 


im»mt 


Jit  f  atM  larira. 


I  do  not  doubt  that  our  God  has  wrought  in  you  a 
willingness  to  do  his  will.  Yet  I  fear  that,  in  one  prom- 
inent regard,  you  may  not  be  a  worker  together  with 
God.  He  has  brought  you  into  a  position  where  he  no 
longer  leaves  it  optional  with  yourself  whether  you  will 
believe.  I  would  not  trespass  on  your  time  by  vain 
repetitions,  yet  I  must  say,  though  it  be  but  a  reiteration 
of  sentiments  urged  on  other  occasions,  that  you  nave 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  105 

The  sin  of  Israel.  A  supposition.  Faith  the  condition  of  stability. 

now  come  to  a  point,  in  your  heavenward  journey,  from 
which  you  may  not  recede.  The  Israelites  came  to  such 
a  point.  Led  onward  by  the  hand  of  God,  until  the 
borders  of  the  promised  land  were  reached,  it  was  not 
left  to  their  choice  whether  they  would  go  over  and  pos- 
sess the  land.  God  commanded  them  to  go  over,  assur- 
ing them  that  he  would  save  them  from  the  hand  of 
their  enemies  ;  but,  "  they  believed  not  God,  and  trusted 
not  in  his  salvation." 


®fe  onlg  JfoM^tiM  4  dfaitlt* 


If,  from  the  time  you  were  -first  empowered  to  be- 
lieve, after  having  been  enabled,  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  to 
offer  yourself  a  living  sacrifice  to  God  through  Christ, 
you  had  taken  the  word  of  God  as  the  foundation  of 
your  faith,  and,  like  Abraham,  journeyed  onward,  tak- 
ing the  word  as  expressly  the  voice  of  the  Spirit,  an 
established  state  of  experience  had  long  since  been  yours. 
I  would  not  chide ;  but,  surely,  the  ways  of  the  Lord 
are  equal.  "  If  ye  will  not  believe,  surely  ye  shall  not  be 
established."  Does  not  this  imply  fault  on  the  part  of 
man  ?  Surely,  God  would  not  thus  reprove,  unless  he 
had  given  a  foundation  for  your  faith,  which  may  be 
readily  ascertained  by  the  most  unsophisticated  mind, 
and  also  had  given  the  ability  to  believe,  Did  the 
Israelites  need  more   than  the  word  of  God  to  assure 


lOt  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

God's  pledge  doubted.  "No  sign."  The  nobleman  reproved,  and  why  ? 


them  that,  in  the  event  of  their  going  over  to  possess 
the  land,  they  should  be  saved  from  the  hand  of  their 
enemies  ?  God  had  pledged  his  eternal  veracity  to  do 
this  for  them  and  it  was  their  sin  that  they  did  not 
obediently  go  over,  relying  on  his  immutable  word. 
Imagine  that  they  had  stood  at  this  point,  pleading  for 
some  tangible  or  sensible  demonstration  beyond,  or  in 
any  way  apart  from,  the  word.  Do  you  not  think  their 
pleadings  would  have  been  worse  than  in  vain  ?  Would 
not  our  God,  (i  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  forever," 
have  said,  "  No  sign  shall  be  given  "  ? 


§to  Ijtolrteman. 


Did  you  ever  contemplate  the  case  of  the  nobleman 
who  said,  "  Sir,  come  down  ere  my  child  die  "  ?  Why 
did  the  Savior  so  reprovingly  say  to  him,  M  Except  ye 
see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  not  believe  "  ?  What 
sign  or  wonder  had  the  man  asked  other  than  that  he 
required  the  Savior  to  go  down  instead  of  saying,  with 
the  centurion,  "  Speak  but  the  word,"  etc.  ?  The  centu- 
rion magnified  the  word  of  the  Lord,  and  made  it  hon- 
orable, and  the  Savior,  well  pleased,  commends  his  faith, 
and  readily  fulfils  his  desire.  Had  the  nobleman  been 
willing  to  take  the  bare  word  of  Christ  for  the  recovery 
of  his  son,  he  had  not  been  so  signally  rebuked.  Yet 
it  was  in  vain  that  he  yet  again,  in  his  earnest  impoitu- 
nity,    said,    <(  Come    down."     The   Savior,    unalterable 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  lOT 

•l  Go,  thy  son  liyeth."    Of  waiting  for  a  sign.    "  He  that  helieveth  hath  the  witness. 

in  his  purpose,  and  unyielding  in  his  requirement  of 
faith  on  the  part  of  his  petitioner,  commands  him, 
"  Go  ! '  giving  him  his  word  alone  in  which  to  trust  as 
the  wherefore  or  authority  for  his  faith.  "  Go,  thy  son 
liveth,"  is  all  that  the  Savior  said.  Neither  his  per- 
emptoriness,  nor  his  importunity,  nor  the  dignity  of  a 
nobleman's  position  among  men,  induced  the  Savior  to 
change  his  purpose.  Suppose  he  had  lingered  as  you 
have  done,  yielding  to  a  desire  for  some  internal  or 
external  manifestation  before  he  consented  to  believe 
Christ,  and  had  not  obediently  gone  his  way  trusting  in 
the  word  that  Jesus  had  spoken,  would  not  his  linger- 
ing have  been  worse  than  in  vain  ?  for  he  had  then  been 
guilty,  not  only  of  doubting  the  word  of  Jesus,  but  of 
disobeying  also,  by  lingering  in  his  beseeching  attitude, 
after  Christ  had  not  only  said  to  him,  "  Thy  son  liveth," 
but  had  also,  at  the  same  time,  commanded  him  to 
"Go!'  The  nobleman's  son  would  doubtless  have 
died,  had  he  not  obeyed  God  and  gone  his  way  at  the 
command,  trusting  for  the  fulfilment  of  Christ's  word. 
And  thus  have  you,  my  brother,  long  stood ;  yet  shall 
I,  in  all  humility,  tell  you  what  has  long  been  the  con- 
firmed sentiment  of  my  heart  in  regard  to  you  ?  Let 
me  then  say,  that  neither  your  earnest  importunity,  nor 
the  dignity  of  your  position  in  the  church  of  Christ,  nor 
any  thing  which  may  propose  itself  to  your  mind  as  a 
reason,  will  induce  our  God,  who  changeth  not,  to  give  / 
you  the  witness  of  entire  sanctification,  until  you  believe 
his  word;  for  it  is  only  "he  that  helieveth"  that  "hath 
the  witness  in  himself." 


108  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Christ  in  the  heart  hy  faith.  The  word  personified.  Apology. 

tyhrizt  in  tfe  §*mt 

The  Holy  Spirit  has  begotten  earnest  desires  in  the 
heart  of  my  brother  for  an  indwelling  Christ.  The 
Scriptures  declare  it  your  privilege  to  know  that  Christ 
dwells  in  your  heart.  But  here  the  requisition  for 
faith  again  meets  you.  "  That  Christ  may  dwell  in  your 
heart  by  faith"  Eph.  3  :  17.  You  are  commanded  not 
to  say,  in  your  heart,  u  Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven  to 
bring  Christ  down  from  above,  or  who  shall  descend 
into  the  deep,  that  is,  to  bring  Christ  up  again  from  the 
dead  ;  but  what  saith  it  ?  The  word  is  nigh  thee,  even 
in  thy  mouth,  and  in  thy  heart,  that  is,  the  word  of 
faith,"  &c.  Here  the  word  is  personified,  as  though  it 
were  Christ  himself  speaking.  And  do  you  really  re- 
ceive the  written  word  as  though  it  were  indeed  the 
voice  of  Christ  speaking  in  your  inmost  soul,  or  are  you 
looking  for  some  sign  or  wonder,  saying  in  your  heart, 
as  did  the  nobleman,  "  Come  down  "  ?  If  so,  I  think 
our  unchangeable  Lord  will  say  to  you,  "  No  sign  shall 
be  given  but  that  which  has  already  been  given."  I 
hope  I  may  not  seem  severe.  I  dare  /.ot  write  other 
than  the  honest  convictions  of  my  mind  dT*d  I  believe 
also  you  do  not  wish  me  to  do  otherwise 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  109 


Oontinm.  uce  in  partial  bondage.  A  son  should  claim  the  inheritance. 


§to  Sfttiw  Jtjjpmtal 


You  speak  of  "  the  time  appointed  of  the  Father,"  by 
way  of  favoring  the  idea  that  there  may  be,  by  divine 
appointment,  a  needs-be  for  yonr  partial  bondage.  You 
acknowledge  that  it  is  your  unbelief  that  keeps  you  in 
this  state.  If  unbelief  is  a  sin,  it  cannot  be  for  the  glory 
of  God  that  any  man  continue  therein.  You  are  kept,  as 
you  intimate,  rather  as  a  servant  than  as  a  son.  But 
now,  as  the  fulness  of  time  has  already  come,  it  surely 
would  be  far  more  to  the  glory  of  God  if  now,  through 
your  Redeemer,  you  should  claim  your  adoption  as  a 
son,  and  assert  your  right  as  an  inheritor  of  the  promises 
by  which  you  are  made  a  partaker  of  the  divine  nature. 
Would  it  not  have  been  more  for  the  glory  of  God  if, 
years  since,  you  had  claimed  your  full  privilege  as  an  heir 
of  God  ?  Scores  more  might  have  believed  through  your 
testimony,  if,  in  presenting  Christ  as  a  Savior  from  all  sin, 
you  had,  in  unwavering  confidence,  been  able  to  say,  "  1 
speak  that  which  I  do  know,  and  testify  of  that  which  I 
have  seen." 


» »♦» » 


%  fionw  <J[attft  retard  ojf  JPtinfete. 

As  a  minister,  you  are  placed  in  a  position  where  the 
people  are  admonished  to  follow  your  faith.  From  the 
tone  of  your  remarks,  I  have  no  doubt  that  you  now 
comply  with  the  conditions  upon  which  entire  sanctifica- 


10 


LK  ILLUSTRATIONS      OP      THE 


The  promise.  Christ  within — prompting  holy  desires,  casting  forth  sin. 


tion  is  promised.  You,  long  since,  bade  adieu  to  the 
spirit  of  the  world,  and  separated  yourself  wholly  to  the 
service  of  Christ.  The  promise,  "  I  will  receive  you," 
now  sounds  forth  from  the  word  as  the  voice  of  God  to 
you.  Have  you  not  often,  in  the  words  of  the  poet, 
acknowledged  before  God 

M  T  cannot  wash  my  heart 
But  by  belieying  thee  "  ? 

You  cannot  cleanse  yourself  from  all  nlthiness  of  the 
flesh  and  spirit  until  you  appropriate  the  promises.  O, 
"  believe  God ;  so  shall  ye  prosper ;  believe,  so 
shall  ye  be  established."  Yes,  established ;  "  for  we, 
who  believe,  do  enter  into  rest."  Christ,  at  this  mo- 
ment, is  in  your  heart,  working  in  you.  These  intense 
breathings  after  conformity  to  his  image,  so  long  con- 
tinued, assure  you  of  his  indwelling — his  continuous 
workings.  You  want  inward  purity  ;  and,  in  answer  to 
this  divinely  inspired  petition,  he  now  says  to  you,  u  I 
will ;  be  thou  clean."  Now  Christ  is  speaking ;  and, 
surely,  he  can  mean  no  other  time  than  now.  "  Now  is 
the  accepted  time."  O,  I  trust  you  are  now  listening  to 
his  inward  voice,  and  not  saying,  in  your  heart,  lo 
here  !  or  lo  there !  for  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within 
you. 

What  you  say  about  your  house,  as  swept  and 
garnished,  is  encouraging.  If  you  have  been  emptied 
of  sin  and  self,  it  is  because  your  Lord  and  Savior  has 
been  at  work  within,  turning  out  the  buyers  and  sellers, 
and  thus  preparing  your  heart  for  his  constant  indwel- 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  Ill 


'  Lo,  I  am  thy  salyation."         Feeling,  the  fruit  of  faith.  My  need  of  Christ. 


ling.  He  knows  you  cannot  work  in  yourself  that 
which  is  well  pleasing  in  his  sight ;  he,  therefore,  pur- 
poses to  work  in  you.  Do  suggestions  arise  in  regard  to 
the  identical  moment  when  he  will  thus  work  in  you  ? 
If  you  will  listen,  you  may  now  hear  him  inwardly  say- 
ing "  Lo,  I  am  thy  salvation"  !  Are  you  saying  I  can- 
not yet  believe  because  I  do  not  feel  as  yet  any  special 
change  ?  Neither  will  you  feel  this  special  change  until 
you  really,  in  heart,  believe,  without  making  any  con 
ditions  with  the  Lord  in  regard  to  your  feelings.  The 
feelings  you  desire  are  the  fruit  of  faith,  and  cannot 
precede  it.  Can  you  not  now  trust  your  Savior  for  pres- 
ent and  continuous  salvation  irrespective  of  frames  and 
feelings?  To  illustrate  my  meaning  more  fully,  and 
furnish  a  clew  to  your  difficulty  in  regard  to  faith,  which 
"  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of 
things 'not  seen,"  please  allow  me  to  narrate  an  item  of 

MY  EXPERIENCE. 

It  has  been  about  eighteen  years  since  I  began  to  live 
in  a  state  of  continuous  trust, — depending  on  Christ 
every  moment  as  my  present  indwelling  Savior.  Never, 
previous  to  my  coming  into  this  state  of  continuous  reli- 
ance, did  I  have  such  keen  perceptions  of  my  absolute 
need  of  the  atonement.  O,  what  a  deep  and  abiding 
consciousness  have  I  every  moment  had  of  my  need  of 
Christ  as  a  Savior!  Yet  I  do  not  presume  to  claim  this 
grace  of  present  salvation  from  all  sin,  on  the  ground 
that  I  have  never  erred  since  the  hour  I  first  received 
this  precious  gift.     I  would  rather  present  the  matter 


112  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

Kept  by  the  power  of  God.         Perfect  love.        Freedom  from  imputation  of  sin. 

thus.  Since  the  moment  that  I  first  laid  all  upon  the 
altar,  I  believe  I  have  never  removed  the  gift  from  off 
the  altar.  Through  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
momentarily  meted  out  in  supplies  suited  to  my  neces- 
sities, I  have  been  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through 
faith,  constantly  apprehending  Christ  as  my  full  Savior. 
I  have  not,  since  that  hallowed  hour,  seen  the  moment 
but  I  had  rather  die  than  knowingly  offend  God.  Yes, 
I  do  believe  that  I  have  kept  all  upon  the  altar,  and  not 
because  of  the  worthiness  of  the  offerer,  or  the  greatness 
of  the  gifts,  but  because  of  the  infinite  merits  of  Christ, 
the  offering  has  been  in  a  state  of  continuous  acceptance. 
God,  the  searcher  of  my  heart,  knows  that  he  is  the 
supreme  object  of  my  affections.  Is  not  this  loving 
God  with  all  the  heart ;  or  rather,  is  it  not  what  the 
Bible  terms  perfect  love  ?  "  Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the 
law."  David  speaks  of  the  blessedness  of  the  man  to 
whom  the  Lord  will  not  impute  sin.  Who  is  that  man, 
but  the  one  who,  with  a  sincere  intention,  and  with  an 
aim  to  which  every  earthly  consideration  is  subservient, 
endeavors  to  please  God  in  all  things,  yet  trusting 
wholly  in  Christ,  conscious  that  his  best  endeavors  can 
only  be  acceptable  to  God  through  the  all-cleansing 
blood  ?  O,  is  not  this  the  man  to  whom  the  Lord  will 
not  impute  sin  ?  Why  not  ?  Because  the  blood  of 
Jesus  cleanseth — not  that  it  can  or  will  cleanse,  but 
cleanseth — cleanseth  now.  Such  blessedness,  I  trust,  is 
now  the  heritage  of  my  dear  brother. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  113 


Met  at  every  point.     .    What  the  adversary  would  gladly  do.         Expostulation. 


®fa  (Srat  muiaitfm 


You  quote  the  passage,  "  To  as  many  as  received 
him,  to  them  gave  he  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God, 
even  to  as  many  as  believed  on  his  name."  Are  you  care- 
ful to  mark  how  you  are  met,  at  every  point,  by  the  requi- 
sition —  faith  ?  "  Even  to  as  many  as  believed  on  his 
name."  Yet  here  I  must  pause.  Am  I  talking  to  my 
dear  Doctor  H.  as  though  he  were  not  appropriating  that 
class  of  promises  which  ensures  adoption  ?  Though 
your  letter  favors  the  intimation,  yet  I  dare  not  think 
you  would  grieve  your  heavenly  Father  so  much  as  to 
regard  yourself  as  a  servant  rather  than  a  son,  after  all 
the  gracious  assurances  you  have  received  that  you  are, 
and  have  long  been,  his  child,  "  through  faith  in  Christ 
Jesus."  The  adversary  would  fain  keep  you  ever  in  the 
act  of  laying  the  foundation  of  your  faith.  Alas !  how 
much  does  he  gain,  if  he  can  keep  us  toiling  among  the 
first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  instead  of  leav- 
ing them,  and  going  on  to  perfection  ?  Ah  !  these  end- 
less doubtings !  How  unlikely  is  such  a  one  to  be  rooted, 
and  grounded,  and  built  up  in  our  most  holy  faith  !  O 
I  long  that  my  dear  brother  be  rooted  and  grounded  in 
love  !  O,  that  you  may  now  resolve  never  more  to  give 
the  enemy  the  advantage  of  an  if,  in  regard  to  the  love  of 
God  to  you  as  his  own  dear  child,  and,  as  such,  an  heir 
of  God,  and  an  inheritor  of  all  the  exceeding  great  and 
precious  promises ! 

It  was  not  a  small  thing  that  the  Lord  had  done  for 

10* 


114  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

Evidences  of  God's  love  to  Israel.  Their  sinful  questioning. 

bis  covenant  people,  in  bringing  them  out  of  Egyptian 
bondage.  The  evidences  of  his  abiding  love  and  contin- 
ued presence,  were  being  ceaselessly  demonstrated  by 
the  manner  in  which  they  were  being  guided  onward 
and  sustained.  The  cloud  by  day,  and  the  pillar  of 
fire  by  night,  also  the  manna,  descending  daily  from 
heaven,  were  ever-speaking  tokens  of  the  Almighty's 
love,  and  his  continuous  workings  in  their  midst ;  it  was, 
therefore,  their  sinful  questioning,  "  Is  God  among  us  ?  " 
which  was  exceedingly  displeasing  to  God,  and  was 
signally  punished.  Dear  brother,  do  not  sin  after  the 
same  similitude.  God  is  with  us.  He  is  ever  giving 
you  tokens  of  love,  and  his  continuous  workings  within 
you,  and  in  your  behalf,  are  ever-speaking  assurances  of 
his  favor  toward  you  as  his  child.  You  know  the  love 
of  God ;  yet  this  is  not  enough.  It  is  by  knowing  and 
believing  the  love  of  Christ.  "  Herein  is  our  love  made 
perfect" 


>  m  l«  i 


<fymf/G$im. 

O,  I  am  sure,  if  the  blessed  Savior  should  now  say 
to  you,  as  to  a  disciple  of  former  days,  "  Dost  thou  now 
believe  ?  you  would  not  dare  say,  No  !  Surely,  in  view 
of  the  faith  of  which  you  have  already  been  made  the 
recipient,  you  would  not  withhold  the  glory  due  to  his 
name.  The  Author  and  Finisher  of  your  faith  is  now 
waiting  to  hear  the  confession  of  your  mouth.     O,  give 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  115 


The  witnesses.  "  'T  is  done."  The  admonition,  "  Hold  fast." 


to  God  the  glory  due  to  his  name.'  Angels  in  heaven, 
saints  on  earth,  and  the  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect, 
now  disembodied,  love  to  hear  God  praised  for  his  won- 
derful works.  You  are  u  compassed  about  by"  a  cloud 
of  witnesses."  Shall  they  now  hear  an  acknowledgment 
of  your  faith?  In  heart,  you  now  believe,  and,  with 
your  lips,  I  trust,  will,  from  this  time  henceforth,  un- 
waveringly say  : 

"  Faith  in  thy  name  thou  seest  I  have, 
For  thou  that  faith  hast  wrought; 
Dead  souls  thou  callest  from  the  grave, 
And  speakest  worlds  from  nought. 
The  thing  surpasses  all  my  thought, 
Yet  faithful  is  my  Lord ; 
Through  unbelief  I  stagger  not, 
For  God  hath  spoke  the  word. 
'Tis  done,  thou  dost  this  moment  save, 
With  full  salvation  bless ; 
Redemption  through  thy  blood  I  have, 
And  spotless  love  and  peace." 


vttx&f&%tm& 


We  are  made  partakers  of  Christ,  if  we  hold  fast  the 
beginning  of  our  confidence  steadfast  unto  the  end.  Do 
you  observe  the  condition? — If  we  "  holdfast,"  steadfast. 
Why  the  necessity  of  holding  fast,  with  such  a  steadfast 
unyielding  grasp  on  faith,  if  there  were  not  a  mighty 
power  ceaseless  in  effort  to  wrest  it  from  us,  and  also  if 
tremendous  consequences  were  not  pending  as  the  result 
of  loosing  that  grasp  ?     O,  how  glad  I  am  that  I  resolved 


116  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Faith  to  be  guarded.  Fluctuating  Christians.  An  unwavering  faith. 

never  to  unloose  my  hold  on  faith,  though  I  might  be 
called  to  my  death  struggle  in  retaining  it!  O,  my 
brother  !  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  fix  some  guards  to 
your  faith.  Let  there  be  a  hedge  about  it,  which  may 
never  be  overleaped.  Know,  if  you  draw  back,  or  by 
any  means  get  out  of  this  hedge,  God  will  have  no  pleas- 
ure in  you.  "Now  the  just  shall  live  by  faith  ;  but, 
if  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  no  pleasure 
in  him."  Many  indulge  in  waverings  to  such  a  degree 
that  you  seldom  know  where  to  find  them.  One  day, 
you  may  find  them  in  a  high  state  of  emotion,  profess- 
ing faith  in  Christ  as  their  full  Savior,  and,  on  another, 
wavering  and  dispirited.  It  is  because  their  faith  de- 
pends on  the  state  of  their  emotions,  rather  than  on  the 
faithfulness  of  God.  Such  a  profession  dishonors  God, 
and  it  is  only  the  self-induced  consequences  of  such  a 
course  that  those  who  do  thus  are  driven  about,  and 
tossed  as  a  wave  of  the  sea,  and  do  not  receive  any  thing 
from  the  hand  of  the  Lord. 


%  Paint  fagond  Utetimnjg. 

You  may  get  to  a  point  beyond  wavering ;  a  point  in 
the  life  of  faith  from  which  you  may  never  indulge  a 
temptation  to  retreat.  I  trust  many  of  the  redeemed 
have  reached  this  point  on  their  way,  in  returning  to 
Zion.  Some,  I  know,  have  ;  and  have  not,  for  vears, 
indulged  a  doubt.     Glory  be  to  God  in  the  highest ! 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  117 

Question  to  be  now  settled.  God's  faithfulness.  Awful  alternative. 

You  may  step  directly  up  to  this  point  now,  my  brother. 
Come  ;  and  may  the  Lord  help  you  while,  in  answer  to 
his  holy  bidding,  I  show  you  the  way.  First,  let  this 
question  be  forever  settled,  Do  you  now  believe  ?  Pause 
and  settle  this  question,  so  that  you,  hereafter,  regard  it 
as  a  matter  never  more  to  be  touched.  God  cannot  be 
unfaithful.  It  is  only  for  you  to  know  that  you  com- 
ply with  the  condition  upon  which  he  promises  this 
blessing  of  salvation  from  all  sin  to  know  that  he,  at 
that  moment,  fulfils  the  promise  to  you.  So  long  as 
you  are  empowered  by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  offer  your 
self  a  living  sacrifice  to  God  through  Christ,  so  long  you 
may  know  that  the  offering  is  holy  and  acceptable.  God 
has  said  so,  and  to  doubt  it,  (even  though  it  may  be 
from  the  plausible  pretext  furnished  by  your  own 
unworthiness,)  is  a  sin.  It  is  doubting  God ;  and  "  He 
that  believeth  not  maketh  God  a  liar."  Awful  alterna- 
tive !  My  brother,  are  you  not  now  beyond  the  point  of 
wavering  ? 


»*>» 


($0  a  Umawd  J[athfl\ 

1  awoke,  at  an  early  hour  this  morning,  with  the 
question,  "  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ?  "  It  seemed  as 
though  the  Holy  Spirit  was  proposing  the  inquiry  to  me, 
in  order  that  I  might  propose  it  to  another.  Surely,  this 
question  implies  the  necessity  of  the  hearty  assent  of  the 
will,  on  the  part   of  the   afflicted,   to   be  made  whole. 


118  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  patient  must  consent  to  a  cure.         Melancholy  forebodings.         The  Comforter 

The  process  must  be  submitted  to,  by  which  the 
heavenly  Healer  proffers  to  effect  the  cure.  But  I  have 
neither  time,  nor  inclination,  just  now,  to  discuss  doc- 
trinal points.  And  your  mental  anguish,  and  your  posi- 
tion as  a  theologian,  alike  remind  me  that  it  would  be 
uncalled  for,  and  in  ill  taste. 

But  I  hope  you  will  forgive  me  when  I  say,  I  fear 
you  do  wrong  in  refusing  to  be  comforted.  It  was  not 
one  of  the  New  Testament  saints  that  said,  "  I  will  go 
down  to  the  grave,  weeping."  Your  affliction  is  keen, 
and  your  natural  sensibilities  are  acute  ;  but  you  would 
not  have  us  infer  that  the  God  of  all  consolation  has  not 
a  remedy  precisely  suited  to  the  necessities  of  your  con- 
dition. My  very  heart  groaned  when  I  read,  "  I  cannot 
hope  that  the  little  which  remains  to  me  of  life,  will 
suffice  to  make  me  whole  !  I  feel  that  I  am  shut  up  to 
one  unbroken  scene  of  anguish  and  tears,  for  the  rest 
of  my  life.  '  My  tears  have  been  my  meat  day  and 
night,  while  they  continually  say  unto  me,  Where  is  thy 
God  ? '  "  Is  this,  my  brother,  the  language  of  one,  whose 
heart  has  long  been  the  abode  of  the  Sanctifier  ?  Has  not 
the  Comforter  come,  to  abide  with  you  forever  ?  Surely, 
we  are  witnesses  of  these  things,  and  so,  also,  is  the  Holy 
Ghost,  which  God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey  him. 

The  Holy  Spirit,  which  is  the  Comforter,  has  come. 
He  has  taken  up  his  abode  in  your  heart.  The  love  of 
God  shed  abroad  in  your  heart,  and  other  fruits  of  the 
Spirit  so  abundantly  bestowed,  prove  his  indwelling. 
The  Comforter  proposes  consolation,  but  you  refuse  the 
proffered  grace,  and  say,  that  you  will  go  down  to  the 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  119 


**  Do  you  not  grieve  the  Spirit  ?  "  We  should  testify  of  the  Comforter. 

grave  mourning  for  your  son.  Is  this  right  ?  Do  you 
not  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit?  That  you  should  have 
tribulation  is  not  surprising  ;  otherwise,  how  could  you 
know  how  to  minister  "  comfort  to  them  which  are  in 
any  trouble,  by  the  comfort  wherewith  you  yourself  are 
comforted  of  God  "  ? 

O,  my  dear  brother  !  why  do  you  not,  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  resist  the  tempter,  when  he  says,  "  Where  is 
thy  God  "  ?  The  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
greater  than  John  the  Baptist ;  and,  if  David  had  enjoyed 
the  light  and  glory  of  the  Spirit's  dispensation,  would 
he  have  uttered  such  an  exclamation  ?  When  the  Savior 
says- to  his  disciples,  "It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go 
away,  for,  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come 
unto  you,"  does  not  his  language  imply  an  obligation, 
on  the  part  of  every  believer,  to  prove  and  testify  of  the 
consoling  influences  of  the  Comforter  ?  The  Israelites 
tempted  the  Lord  when  they  said,  "  Is  the  Lord  among 
us  ?  '  And  when  the  tempter  says,  "  Where  is  thy 
God  ? "  and  we  yield  to  repeated  questionings  of  this 
sort,  are  we  not  sinning  after  the  same  similitude  ? 
•  I  hope  you  will  not  think  me  wanting  in  sympathy. 
The  Lord  knows  that  he  has  given  me  sensibilities  which 
are  keen.  And,  before  the  Comforter  came  to  abide  in 
my  heart,  O,  how  acutely  did  I  suffer  the  pangs  of 
bereavement !  But  O,  how  have  nature's  ties  been  re 
peatedly  riven !  Twice  were  we  written  childless  ;  our 
two  eldest  boys  being  removed  by  death.  And  yet  again 
did  death  enter  our  dwelling :  a  dear  little  daughter,  one 
of  the  most  lovely  and   beautiful  beings  my  eyes  ever 


120  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Bereavement.       The  divine  intention  met.       "  Overmuch  sorrow"  guarded  against 

beheld,  was  taken  away  with  a  stroke.  Through  grace, 
we  were  kept  from  charging  God  foolishly  in  this  third 
and  most  painful  visitation.  We  knew  that  the  Judge 
of  all  the  earth  would  do  right. 

So  keenly  did  we  feel  the  infliction,  that  we  dared  not 
let  it  pass  without  the  designed  improvement.  So  sure 
were  we  that  our  heavenly  Father  would  not  permit 
such  a  signal  affliction  to  befall  us  without  intending  that 
some  signal  good  should  be  accomplished,  that  we  were 
in  haste  to  learn  the  lessons  which  Infinite  Love  would 
communicate  ;  well  assured  that  "  He  doth  not  afflict 
willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men."  And  we 
feared  a  severer  infliction  in  case  this  did  not  accomplish 
the  purpose  whereunto  it  was  sent.  I  believe  it  was  the 
design  of  God,  that  the  death  of  that  lovely  child  should 
be  made  the  occasion  of  the  spiritual  life  of  many. 

There  is  danger  of  what  the  Bible  terms  "  overmuch 
sorrow."  And  unless  we  are  careful  to  keep  within  the 
guards  of  grace,  we  may  be  swallowed  up  of  this  sorrow. 
We  saw  our  danger,  and  turned  our  stricken  hearts  and 
our  weeping  eyes  away  to  the  Comforter.  We  looked 
away  from  the  grave ;  for  "  the  sorrow  of  this  world 
worketh  death."  We  felt  that  we  could  not,  without 
involving  guilt,  enfeeble  our  physical  and  mental  ener- 
gies by  looking  into  the  grave.  And,  now  that  our  loved 
one  was  beyond  our  care,  we  felt  that  it  was  due  that 
the  energies  which  might  have  been  more  exclusively 
devoted  to  the  loved  object,  should  be  rendered  diffusive, 
and  directed  to  other  channels,  where  they  might  flow 
abroad  in  streams  of  spiritual  life  to  multitudes. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  121 


The  denunciation.  All  religious  experience  is  to  be  tested  by  the  Bible. 


w  @ttt  itoita. 


1  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Stand  ye  in  the  ways,  and  see,  and  ask  for  the   old  paths, 
where  is  the  good  way,  and  walk  therein." — The  word  op  God. 

There  is  nothing  new  in  religion.  With  the  Apoca- 
lypse the  volume  of  revelation  closes.  "  If  any  man 
shall  add  unto  these  things,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the 
plagues  that  are  written  in  this  book ;  and  if  any  man 
shall  take  away  from  the  words  of  this  book,  God  shall 
take  away  his  part  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of 
the  holy  city,  and  from  the  things  which  are  written  in 
this  book."  Any  spiritual  manifestation  which  may  not, 
in  all  its  aspects,  consist  with  the  written  word  of  God,  is 
questionable.  Never  can  the  soul  be  brought  into  a 
higher  state  than  that  for  which  an  explicit,  "  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,"  may  be  given.  It  is  an  inspiring  thought, 
that  the  Bible  only  sets  boundaries  to  the  attainments 
of  the  believer,  such  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  exceed- 
ing greatness  of  God's  power,  and  the  riches  of  his 
grace.  But  the  exceeding  greatness  of  God's  power, 
and  the  riches  of  his  grace,  may  only  be  known  by  the 
revelation  he  has  given  of  them  in  his  written  word. 
Says  one,  "  In  remarking  thus,  you  do  not  give  sufficient 
prominence  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Living, 
as  we  do,  under  the  dispensation  of  the  Spirit,  are 
we  not  warranted  in  the  conclusion  that  we  are  being' 
led  into  all  truth  when  we  submit  ourselves  wholly 
to  his   dictations?'      No!  Apart  from   the  instructions 

of  the  written  word,   we   may    not  expect   to   be   thu$ 

11 


122  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  Bible  a  plain  book.  The  way  of  holiness  the  only  way. 

directed.  For  the  Bible  is  expressly  the  voice  of  the  Spirit. 
Neither  do  the  Scriptures  favor  any  thing  mystical  in  re- 
ligion. Refined  sentimentalism,  or  any  thing  that  the 
common  mind,  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  Christ,  may  not 
readily  apprehend,  should  surely  be  avoided  ;  for,  by  the 
most  unsophisticated  may  these  old  paths  be  found.  And 
so  undeviatingly  may  be  the  onward  step  even  of  the 
humble  intellect  that  the  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool, 
need  not  err  therein.  "No  prophecy  of  the  Scripture 
is  of  any  private  interpretation."  The  Holy  Spirit, 
through  Peter,  speaks  of  this  open,  free  access  to  truth  as 
a  matter  first  in  importance ;  "  Knowing  this  first."  Let 
us  not,  then,  by  the  relation  of  mystical  experiences, 
favor  the  idea  that  new  light,  revealing  a  higher  state 
than  that  given  in  *  the  old  Bible  landmarks,  has  been 
revealed  to  us.  The  Bible  speaks  of  no  third  state, 
higher  than  a  state  of  holiness  ;  it  only  admonishes  us  to 
go  on,  "perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord." 

Says  an  inquirer,  "  Is  not  God  ever  making  further 
revelations  of  his  mind  by  the  developments  of  experi- 
ence which  we  witness  in  his  progressive  workings,  in 
the  hearts  of  the  eminently  pious  ?  "  With  my  eye  on 
that  word,  which  God  has  magnified  above  all  his  name, 
I  answer,  No.  Nothing  reliable  can  be  gathered  thus. 
Otherwise,  the  volume  of  revelation  is  not  closed.  New 
revelations,  with  these  new  developments  in  experience, 
are,  upon  this  supposition,  continually  being  made. 
Then  let  us  not  encourage  in  others,  nor  seek  for  our- 
selves, any  experience,  however  specious,  for  which  an 
explicit  reason  from  the  Bible  may  not  be  given.      Let 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  VZo 

We  should  give  no  sanction  to  mystical  experiences.  Satanic  deceptions. 


us,  who  profess  to  have  found  the  old  paths  —  the 
highway  of  holiness,  be  careful  how  we  give  our  sanction 
to  those  mystical  experiences  whose  tendencies  lead  to 
quietism,  antinomianism,  perfectionism,  and  other  un- 
scriptural  isms,  which,  from  time  to  time,  have  told  so 
disastrously  against  the  doctrine  of  heart  holiness  — 
Christian  perfection. 


» •>>  ■ 


%  jsatanir  (feptditttt 


"  The  power  of  Satan  is  great,  and  it  is  his  appropriate  business  continually  to 
assault  the  saints  of  God." — Prof.  Upuam. 

Satan  is  a  formidable  enemy.  Neither  is  he  alone  in 
his  walkings  to  and  fro  in  the  earth.  He  has  many 
emissaries.  "  Many  spirits  are  gone  out  into  the  world." 
If  these  spirits  were  always  clothed  in  their  native  robe, 
then  to  the  holy  soul  would  the  danger  of  being 
beguiled  by  them  be  comparatively  small.  But  here 
they  are  walking  to  and  fro  through  the  earth,  ever 
infesting  the  path  of  the  pious,  and,  in  exterior,  so 
like  good  angels  that  only  by  the  most  careful  scrutiny 
can  their  deceptions  be  discovered.  Satan  transforms 
himself  into  an  angel  of  light,  and  so  exceedingly  subtle 
is  he  that  human  wisdom  furnishes  no  criterion  by  which 
his  identity  may,  with  certainty,  be  detected.  The 
lamp  of  heaven  alone  emits  rays  by  which  the  decep- 
tions of  Satan  can  be'  discovered.  "  Thy  word  is  a 
lamp."  By  this  light,  Satan  is  detected ;  and  the 
inquirer  is  led  to  infallible  conclusions. 


i£4  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


He  accuses  the  saints  Extract  from  Upham.        Fancied  annihilation  of  self. 

But  to  take  one  step  without  this  lamp  to  guide  our 
feet  is  exceedingly  dangerous.  Satan  is  unceasing  in  his 
efforts  to  overcome.  It  is  not  the  cold  professor,  but 
the  saints,  that  he  accuses  day  and  night  before  God. 
Professor  Upham  says,  "  Thou  hast  contended  with  Satan, 
and  hast  been  successful.  Thou  hast  fought  with  him, 
and  he  has  fled  from  thee.  But  O  !  remember  his  arti- 
fices. Do  not  indulge  the  belief  that  his  nature  is 
changed.  True,  indeed,  he  is  now  very  complacent, 
and  is,  perhaps,  singing  thee  some  syren  song  ;  but  he 
was  never  more  a  devil  than  he  is  now.  He  now  assaults 
thee,  by  not  assaulting  thee,  and  knows  that  he  shall  con- 
quer when  thou  fullest  asleep."  And  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  it  is  not  until  the  end  of  time  that  he  is  to  be  cast 
down,  how  deceived  is  he  who  imagines  that  he  has 
attained  to  a  higher  state  where  the  life  of  nature  is  so 
extinct  that  Satan  can  find  no  ground  to  work  upon  — 
a  state  of  boasted  exemption  from  his  attacks  ! 

To  all  professors  of  holiness  the  author  already  quoted 
very  properly  says  :  u  The  cost  of  holiness  was  the 
blood  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  greatly  does  he  mistake 
who  supposes  that  it  can  be   preserved  short  of  "  eteb- 


NAL  VIGILANCE." 


My  heart  is  sad  when  I  hear  the  sincerely  pious  talk 
of  a  "  higher  state,  a  state  of  which  the  Bible  nowhere 
speaks,  promising  exemption  from  the  assaults  of  Satan  ; 
or  what  is,  in  fact,  equal  to  this  assumption,  a  state  where, 
self  being  annihilated,  the  individual  can  no  longer  be 
attacked,  but  God,  in  the  individual,  receives  the  assault. 
How  disastrous  must  be  the  tendencies  of  these  refined 


ECONOMY      OF      S  A  L  V  A  T  T  O  N  .  125 


A  satanic  victory  Perfectionism  The  warning  cry  should  be  heard. 


mysticisms  !  Hardly  can  I  conceive  of  any  thing  dis- 
playing more  of  the  subtlety  of  Satan  than  this.  If  he 
can  beguile  us  into  the  belief  that  we  are  beyond  his 
power,  so  that  the  most  prayerful  vigilance  is  not  neces- 
sary, he  has  already  obtained  a  great  victory. 

At  this  point,  the  mighty  have  fallen.  Here  the 
dreadful  doctrine  denominated  "  perfectionism"  begins. 
Dear  brethren  in  Christ,  let  us  be  up  and  doing  With 
the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  let  us  carefully  guard  every 
approach,  in  semblance,  toward  this  doctrine.  Shall 
the  glorious  doctrine  of  Christian  holiness  again  be  coun- 
terfeited and  brought  into  disrepute  by  the  errings  of 
those  who  have  once  been  its  able  and  sincere  advocates  ? 

Let  one  who,  for  many  years,  has  been  observing  the 
insidiousness  of  Satan  on  these  points  —  one  who  often 
has  had  occasion  to  remark,  that  the  time  now  is,  that 
Satan  would  deceive,  if  it  were  possible,  even  the  very  elect 
— let  such  an  one  raise  the  warning  cry,  and  give  you 
some  idea  of  the  manner  of  him  whose  coming  is  in  "  all 
deceivableness  and  lying  wonders." 


>  m$m  i 


"And  no  marvel  ;  for  Satan  himself  is  transformed  into  an  angel  of  light.'5 

Satan  is  well  aware  that  light  cannot  have  fellowship 

with   darkness.     He,  therefore,  does  not  approach  the 

holy  soul  as  a  fiend  of  darkness  ;  otherwise,  his  rejection 

were  certain.     For,  in  the  truly  holy,  Satan  comes  and 

11* 


126  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Satan's  audacity.  The  terror  of  his  insinuations. 


finds  nothing.  It  is  only  Avith  that  which  bears  the 
semblance  of  light,  that  the  sanctified  sonl  can  have  fel- 
lowship. But  how  high  is  his  aim,  and  how  wonderful 
his  audacity  !  Who  would  have  thought  that  he  would 
come  to  our  Lord  ?  Surely,  he  could  not  have  thought 
to  find  any  thing  there.  And  shall  the  disciple  imagine 
that  he  may  reach,  in  this  world,  a  state  of  exemption 
from  his  attacks  ?  "  As  he  was,  even  so  are  we  in  this 
world."  "  The  disciple  is  not  above  his  master  ;  but 
every  one  that  is  perfect  shall  be  as  his  master."  And 
,now  the  deceiver  comes  to  the  disciple  even  as  he  came 
to  our  Lord,  bringing  detached  portions  of  Scripture, 
and,  with  much  sagacity,  suiting  the  temptation  to  our 
physical  emergencies  or  mental  aptitudes.  Blending 
truth  with  error,  he  now  suggests, — "You  are  holy. 
All  your  desires  and  affections  must,  therefore,  spring 
from  a  pure  source.  Satan,  therefore,  can  find  nothing 
in  you,  and  wherefore  should  he  come  ?  Your  body 
and  soul  having  been,  by  an  irrevocable  act,  forever  con- 
secrated, set  apart  and  sealed,  the  tendencies  of  your 
being  must,  therefore,  be  wholly  spiritual,  and  without 
alloy.  The  energies  constraining  your  actions  must,  of 
course,  be  divine  in  origin.  Your  whole  life  being, 
therefore,  one  of  ceaseless  aspiration  toward  God,  you 
will  not  need  stated  seasons  of  prayer.  Acts  of  this  sort 
would  indicate  that  you  were  going  before  the  Spirit 
rather  than  following  after  the  Spirit.  As  you  have 
given  yourself  up  to  follow  the  leadings  of  the  Spirit 
wholly,  you  may  now  expect  to  be  led  into  all  truth, 
and  will   not   need    that   any  man   teach  you  ;   for   the 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  127 


Questions  by  a  lover  of  the  old  paths.  The  deceiver's  response. 


anointing  that  you  have  received  teacheth  you  all  things. 
In  relation  to  the  observance  of  various  religious 
duties,  your  inclinations  are  to  guide  you  ;  for,  since 
they  all  originate  in  purity,  resistance  to  them  will  be 
resistance  to  the  Holy  Spirit.  To  be  passive,  then,  is 
your  highest  duty." 

"  But,"  asks  the  inquirer  after  the  old  paths,  u  am  I 
authorized  in  believing  I  shall  be  led  by  the  Spirit 
apart  from  the  written  word ?  Does  not  our  Lord  say, 
'  Except  a  man  deny  himself  and  take  up  his  cross 
daily,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple  ? '  Am  I  not,  by  the 
teachings  of  the  Bible,  continually  being  urged  to  be 
'  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,' — ' pray  in  all  prayer 
and  intercessions  for  all  saints  ? '  Does  not  the  Spirit, 
through  the  Scriptures,  ever  admonish  me  to  be  ( stead- 
fast, unmovable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord  ? '  Am  I  not  warned  against  neglecting  the  ordi- 
nances of  God's  house  '  as  the  manner  of  some  is,'  and  am 
I  not,  in  the  command  to  follow  Christ,  required  to  ful- 
fil all  righteousness,  and,  in  all  things,  to  be  an  example 
to  believers  ?  " 

"  Ah !  "  replies  this  questionable  Spirit,  "  you  are 
not  yet  in  the  light,  and,  therefore,  cannot  apprehend 
the  privileges  of  this  higher  state.  You  have  not  yet 
submitted  to  the  entire  crucifixion  of  self.  In  the 
principle  that  prompts  these  restless  doings — doings — 
self,  in  a  specious  form,  is  to  be  seen.  You  know  not 
yet  what  it  means  to  be  dead  indeed ;  and  not  until  the 
life  of  nature  expires,  can  you  know  that  holy  liberty 
which    the  Spirit    gives  to    those   who    are    made  free 


128  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


Mysterious  experiences  questioned.  The  Bible  is  the  test. 


indeed  In  this  holy  resting  out  of  self,  where  all  the 
animal  propensities  have  been  so  fully  crucified  that 
they  can  never  again  revive,  there  are  mysteries  which 
the  uninitiated  cannot  receive."  Thus  in  obscurity,  and 
as  an  object  of  compassion,  is  this  inquirer  after  the  old 
paths  left.  This  questionable  spirit,  having  taken  its 
victim  into  a  higher  state  than  that  for  which  a  reason 
can  be  given  from  the  Bible,  the  inquirer  after  the  old 
paths  cannot,  of  course,  be  initiated,  until  he  also  con- 
cludes to  travel  beyond  the  limits  of  Bible  experience. 


"  @o  tto  Saw  and  io  t\u  Sksthwmg." 


"  To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony;   if  they  speak  not  according  to  this  word,  it  l» 
because  there  is  no  light  in  them.'1 — Isaiah  viii.  20. 

But  the  Bible  gives  light,  and  it  is  not  in  vain  that 
the  inquirer  turns  to  the  law  and  to  the  testimony.  And 
now,  how  shall  wc  try  this  questionable  spirit,  of  whom 
we  have  been  speaking,  and  know  whether  his  teachings 
be  of  God,  or  of  Satan  transformed  as  an  angel  of  light  ? 
Thanks  be  to  God,  we  have  an  infallible  test.  "  To  the 
law  and  to  the  testimony."  Never,  then,  need  the  sim- 
plest mind  be  turned  out  of  the  way,  even  though  his 
enemy  be  exceeding  subtle. 

What,  then,  do  the  Scriptures  teach  us  in  regard  to 
the  tempter  ?  Do  they  promise  us,  in  this  state  of  proba- 
tion, exemption  from  his  attacks  ?    No  ;  for,  in  all  points, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  129 


Christ's  temptations.  Nature  not  dead. 


was  Christ,  our  exemplar,  tempted,  yet  without  sin. 
"  But,"  says  one,  "  we  do  not  read  of  Christ's  being 
tempted,  other  than  in  the  early  part  of  his  career,  and, 
as  the  disciple  travels  onward  with  him,  he  rises  to  yet 
higher  ground,  until  he  arrives  at  a  state  beyond  the 
power  of  the  tempter."  The  life  of  the  Savior  was  well- 
nigh  a  continuous  series  of  temptation.  When  about  to 
finish  his  earthly  career,  he  said  to  his  disciples,  "  Ye 
are  they  who  have  been  with  me  in  my  temptations." 
But  we  know  that  the  disciples  were  not  with  him 
in  his  temptation  in  the  wilderness,  and  it  therefore 
follows,  that  he  was  subject  to  temptation  during  the 
whole  period  of  his  life.  And  what  indications  are 
there  in  his  sufferings  in  the  garden,  where  he  was  "  in 
an  agony,"  and  upon  his  arrest,  where  he  said  "  Now  is 
the  power  of  darkness,"  and  upon  the  cross,  where  he 
cried,  "  My  God,  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  "  that  up 
to  the  last  the  Lamb  of  God  was  pursued  by  the  tempter ! 
And  then  the  idea  of  the  entire  extinction  of  our  nat- 
ural life,  so  that  we  are  no  more  in  danger  of  being 
ensnared  through  our  natural  propensities,  is  also  erro- 
neous, and  has  often  led  to  great  error  in  practice.  The 
Incarnate  God  took  upon  himself  our  nature.  He  was 
very  man,  as  also  very  God.  In  him  we  perceive  the 
two  natures — human  and  divine.  His  human  nature 
shrunk  from  suffering,  and,  in  view  of  the  cup  which 
the  Father  gave  him  to  drink,  he  said,  "  If  it  be  possible, 
let  this  cup  pass  from  me."  Had  the  Savior  embraced 
the  idea  that  the  life  of  nature  was  entirely  extinct,  in- 
sreud  of  saying,  "  Not  my  will  but  thine  be  done,"  what 


ISO  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

How  betrayals  may  come.  What  Satan  loves. 

would  have  been  done  to  ransom  a  world  of  sinners  ? 
Well,  "  as  he  was,  even  so  are  we  in  this  world ;  " 
and  let  us  not  imagine  that  we  can  arrive  at  a  state 
where  our  natural  tendencies  may  not  betray  us  into 
error. 

The  disciple  may,  and  ever  should,  be  in  a  state  where 
the  human  will  is  wholly  subjected  to  the  divine  will. 
But  should  the  requirement  be  such  as  to  cause  a  shrink- 
ing of  the  flesh,  let  him  not  be  discouraged  ;  for  this 
shrinking  of  the  flesh  will  not  render  him  less  pleasing 
to  his  Father.  Our  heavenly  Father  loves  to  see  his 
children  willing  to  do  painful  duties.  Let  us,  then,  not 
talk  of  a  higher  path  than  that  in  which  the  Savior 
trod  before  us.  And  let  us  regard  with  suspicion  all 
attempts  to  fix  on  a  higher  way  than  that  marked  by  his 
foot-prints. 

The  higher  our  state,  in  reality,  is,  the  more  subtle 
will  Satan  be  in  his  inventions  to  effect  our  overthrow. 
Could  he  induce  one  who  has  been  long  and  successfully 
engaged  in  promoting  holiness,  to  favor  any  of  his  spe~ 
cious  pretences,  what  a  conquest  would  be  gained ! — a 
conquest  well  worthy  a  jubilee  in  the  lower  regions. 
Ah !  Satan  loves  a  shining  mark  ! 

With  Paul,  then,  let  us  keep  our  body  under  ;  for  the 
tempter  tempts  the  disciple  as  his  Lord  ;  that  is,  through 
the  medium  of  the  flesh.  As  followers  of  Christ,  let  us 
closely  keep  our  eye  fixed  upon  his  example  in  all 
things.  Does  the  multitude  press  upon  us,  so  that  we 
may  not  ever,  as  we  would,  find  time  for  earnest  plead- 
ings  and   deep   communion,   without    sometimes    rising 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  131 

Examples.  Stated  prayer.  Old  paths. 

before  day?  let  us  rather  do  this  than  be  deprived  of 
seasons  of  soul-transforming  fellowship  with  God.  Let 
us  also  take  the  example  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
saints.  With  Abraham,  let  us  be  with  our  families,  early 
at  the  altar.  If  David,  amid  his  many  concernments,  as 
sovereign  of  a  mighty  kingdom,  could  regard  his  stated 
seasons  of  devotion  as  so  important  as  to  fix  the  resolve 
that  he  would,  morning,  noon  and  night,  pray  and  cry 
aloud, — and  if  Daniel,  amid  his  high  responsibilities,  and 
vexations  from  his  heathenish  neighbors,  regarded  his 
stated  hours  for  communion  with  God  as  so  impor- 
tant as  not  to  admit  of  interference, — let  us  look  with 
suspiciousness  upon  an  inclination  to  regard  these  mat- 
ters as  unimportant.  If  the  enemy  would  beguile  us  to 
yield  to  this  inclination,  in  whatever  form  he  may  come, 
let  us  say,  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan ,  for  thou  savor- 
est  not  the  things  that  be  of  God,  but  the  things  that  be 
of  men.  "     Yes,  to  the  old  paths  ! 

"The  way  the  holy  prophets  went, 
The  road  that  leads  from  banishment, 
The  King's  highway  of  holiness, 
We  '11  go,  for  all  his  paths  are  peace." 

u  But,"  say  some,  "  we  live  under  the  dispensation  ol 
the  Spirit ;  and  now,  in  searching  out  the  old  paths,  you 
go  so  far  back  as  to  take  us  from  under  the  dispensation 
of  liberty  proposed  by  the  Spirit,  as  though  we  were  to 
be  again  justified  by  the  deeds  of  the  law."  Not  so. 
Paul,  in  referring  to  things  aforetime,  said,  "  These  things 
were  written  for  our  instruction."  If  holy  men  of  old 
spake  as   they  were    moved   by  the    Holy   Ghost,  they 


132  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Sanctuary  privileges.  Prayer.  The  standard. 


doubtless  acted,  in  the  matter  to  which  we  have  referred, 
under  the  direct  leadings  of  the  same  Spirit  by  which,  we 
trust,  we  are  led.  With  them  and  with  the  early  dis- 
ciples also,  let  us  highly  esteem  sanctuary  privileges. 
"  Let  us  not  forget  the  assembling  of  ourselves  together 
as  the  manner  of  some  is."  In  all  the  outward,  as  well 
as  the  more  private,  duties  of  the  Christian,  let  us,  in  all 
fidelity,  obey  the  command,  "  Be  thou  an  example  of 
the  believers,  in  word,  in  conversation,  in  charity,  in 
spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity.  "  If,  in  being  or  doing  thus, 
we  may  be  called  to  resist  the  shrinkings  of  nature, 
we  will  say,  with  our  precious  Lord,  "  Not  my  will,  but 
thine  be  done,"  remembering  that  it  is  through  much 
tribulation  we  enter  the  kin°dom. 

The  Bible  being  the  only  infallible  standard,  and  no 
human  authority  being  comparable  with  it,  the  latter 
being  only  right  as  far  as  it  is  found  one  in  sentiment 
with  it,  let  this  book,  above  all  others,  be  the  book  of 
books  with  us.  An  inspired  one  loved  it  so  much,  that 
it  was  his  meditation  day  and  night.  Let  it,  with  us, 
be  the  last  book  at  night,  and  the  earliest  at  dawn.  I 
know  one  who  has  been  in  the  daily  habit  of  studying  it 
thus  for  years  past  on  her  knees,  and  many  a  lesson  has 
she  thus  learned  in  humble  waiting  before  God,  com 
paring  Scripture  with  Scripture,  believing  that  spiritua 
things  can  only  be  spiritually  discerned.  If  we  take  the 
entire  voice  of  the  written  word  for  the  government  of  our 
conduct,  our  lives  will  present  one  beautiful  assemblage 
of  graces.  Otherwise,  we  may  wrest  the  Scriptures  to  our 
own  destruction.      Even  Satan  can  quote  detached  pas.^ 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  183 


The  entire  voice.  Itesponsibility  of  controversialists. 


sages  to  suit  his  own  purposes  ;  but  let  us  obey  the  order 
of  God,  and  compare  Scripture  with  Scripture,  and 
hearken  to  the  entire  voice  of  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments. 


I  believe  the  late  controversy  on  the  subject  of  holi- 
ness has  been  the  means  of  getting  many  persons,  both 
among  the  ministry  and  laity,  into  a  position  where  they 
feel  far  less  uneasiness,  in  regard  to  the  duty  of  perfect- 
ing holiness  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  than  they  otherwise 
would.  If  the  idea  obtains  that  we  must  go  on  for 
years  in  a  state  of  justification  before  we  can  reasonably 
expect  to  get  into  the  enjoyment  of  holiness,  who  can 
tell  the  disastrous  effects  of  the  vagueness  in  pursuit 
which  must  result  to  every  mind  entertaining  such  an 
idea  ?  If  the  friend  of  the  man  who,  in  view  of  his 
immediate  necessities,  went  for  three  loaves,  had  pre 
viously  said  to  him,  "  Know  that  I  am  your  friend,  and 
if,  at  any  time,  you  come  to  a  point  of  extreme  neces- 
sity, come  to  me ;  and,  though  I  will  not  pledge  my- 
self to  say  when,  yet  know  that,  if  you  continue  long 
enough  pleading,  your  necessities  will,  at  some  future 
period,  be  met, " — would  the  man,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, have  had  much  courage  or  faith  in  going  to 
his  friend  ?     When  the  weary,  hungry  traveller,  whose 

stay,  probably,  was  designed  but  for  the  night,  came  to 

12 


134  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

When  grace  is  promised.  Ministers'  necessity. 

his  dwelling,  and  found  him  unprepared  to  set  bread 
before  him,  wrould  he  have  thought  of  going  to  his 
friend,  whose  promise  was  for  some  indefinite  period  ? 
No  !  He  would  have  said,  "  My  friend  may  starve 
before  my  emergency  will  be  met  from  that  source." 

Not    so   with    our  Almighty    Friend,  in    whom  all 
fulness  dwells.      "  Grace  to  help  in  time  of  need '    is 
just  what  he  has  promised.      Inward  purity — holiness 
of  heart — furnishes  a  readiness  for  every  good  work.     A 
minister  needs  it   preparatory   to   an   entrance  upon  the 
holy    services  of    the    sanctuary.     His   heart  tells  him 
that  he  is  not  thoroughly  furnished  unto  every  good 
work,  until  he  receives  this   grace.     He,  from   whose 
hand  he  receives  his  commission,   says,   "  Be  ye  clean 
that   bear   the   vessels  of    the  Lord."      If    he  has  not 
received  it  previous  to   entering  upon  his  ministry,  his 
conscience  tells  him  that  he  ought  to  have  it  now.     If 
he  obeys  man  rather  than  God,  and  embraces  the  opin- 
ion that  he  may  preach  it  successfully  without  enjoying 
it,  M  That   many  a  minister   is  more  useful  without  it 
than  others  are  with  it,"  he  will  be   held  responsible,  at 
last,  for  following  the  traditions  of  men  rather  than  the 
oracles  of  God.     And  thus  with  the  lay  member  whose 
heart  tells  him  that  he  needs  this  further  bestowment  of 
grace  to  fit  him  fully  for  the  duties   of  his  holy  calling. 
He  may  get  into  an  easier  place  for  conscience  by  yield- 
ing to  the  idea  rtiat  he   cannot   be  holy  now  ;   that  the 
blessing  may  be  away  in   the  distance.      He  may,  if  he 
choose,  adopt  the  opinion  that  his  want   of  greater  suc- 
cess in  laboring  for  God  has  not  been  attributable  to  his 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  135 


Easier  but  not  safer.  Important  question. 


want  of  an  application  of  the  all-cleansing  blood.  But 
adopting  the  opinion  does  not  make  it  true.  With  the 
main  writer  in  the  recent  controversy,  he  may  conclude 
that  he  is  about  as  safe  without  it  as  with  it ;  and  think 
that  God  will  not  condemn  him  for  not  going  up  tc 
possess  the  good  land,  though  he  long  since  was  brought 
out  of  spiritual  Egypt.  He  may  conclude  that  the  case 
of  the  Israelites  who  entered  not  in  because  of  unbelief 
furnishes  no  admonition  to  him  ;  and  thus  he  may  get 
into  an  easier  place  for  conscience ;  but  whether  he  has 
got  into  a  safer  place,  the  light  of  eternity  will  reveal. 


tmtmt 


®to  Part  who  didn't  \\mw  Whxtt  §£  Wins. 


One  traveller,  accosting  another  by  the  way,  said, 
"Do  you,  my  brother,  enjoy  the  blessing  of  entire 
sanctification  ?  " 

"I  do  not  know  but  I  received  that  blessing  at  the 
time  I  was  justified ;  for  I  rather  think  I  have  loved 
God  with  all  my  heart  ever  since." 

"  You  know  that  we  have  received  of  that  spirit 
whereby  we  know  the  things  freely  given  to  us  of  God 
Nothing  is  more  explicitly  given  than  the  will  of  God 
on  this  point.  '  This  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanc- 
tification.' Now  do  you  know  that  you  are  wholly 
sanctified  ?  " 

"  Iwould  rather   not  speak  confidently,  but  I  think 


136  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Are  you  an  exception  ?  Afraid  to  promise. 

I  have  been  willing  to  cut  off  a  right  hand,  or  pluck  out 
?  ight  eye,  ever  since  my  conversion." 

"  It  matters  little,  my  dear  brother,  when  you  received 
the  blessing  ;  whether  at  the  time  of  your  conversion, 
or  since.  Mr.  Wesley  says,  '  I  will  not  say  that  God  may 
not  cut  short  his  work,  and  sanctify  a  soul  wholly  at  the 
moment  of  conversion  ;  but  of  the  hundreds  with 
whose  experience  I  have  been  familiar,  I  have  not  met 
with  one  such  case.'  So  I  will  say,  in  regard  to  your- 
self; I  have  known  no  such  case,  among  the  hundreds 
with  whom  I  have  been  conversant ;  but  if  you  think 
your  case  an  exception,  of  course  I  will  not  dispute  it. 
Hut,  since  it  is  your  privilege  to  know,  will  you  not 
r  3solve  before  God  to  have  the  matter  settled,  before  you 
rest  your  head  on  your  pillow  this  night  ?  " 

"  O,  I  should  be  afraid  to  make  such  a  resolve  !     What 
if  I  should  not  get  it !  " 

".So  you  are  afraid  to  trust  God  for  what  he  has 
promised  to  give  you.  He  says,  '  Now  is  the  accepted 
time,  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation.'  When  Jesus 
said,  f  It  is  finished,'  then  he  wrought  out  this  salvation 
for  you  ;  and  now,  on  the  part  of  God,  all  things  are 
ready.  But  it  is  a  pearl  of  great  price,  and  you  will  not 
get  it  until  you  feel  that  no  expenditure  of  time  or  inter- 
est is  too  great  for  its  attainment.  Will  you  decide  on 
having  it  before  you  sleep  ?  " 

"  I  really  dare  not  promise,  for  I  might  fail  in  getting 
it." 

In  saying  thus,  do  you  mean  to  assume  that  God 
might  be   unfaithful,  and  not  give  what    he  has  prom- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  137 


Definiteness  and  importunity.  Resolve.  Light. 


ised?  When  the  disciples  said,  '  Lord,  teach  us  how  to 
pray,'  the  Savior,  by  an  illustration,  taught  them  to 
pray  precisely  thus.  Definiteness  and  unyielding  importu- 
nity now,  were  the  lessons  taught  on  this  occasion. 
(See  the  parable  of  the  three  loaves.)  The  man  applied 
to,  had,  perhaps,  not  told  his  importunate  friend  he 
would  give  him  three  loaves  if  he  came  ;  but  God  has 
told  you  that  it  is  his  will  even  your  sanctification  now, 
and  are  you  afraid  to  trust  him  for  the  fulfilment  of 
his  word  ?  " 

This  brother  was  a  man  of  business,  and  he  concluded 
that  the  object  called  for  a  concentration  of  all  his  energies, 
and  he  deliberately  resolved  before  God,  that  he  would 
not  give  sleep  to  his  eyes,  or  slumber  to  his  eyelids, 
until  he  faiew  that  he  was  wholly  sanctified  throughout 
body,  soul,  and  spirit. 

■"  The  day  of  the  Lord  is  near  in  the  valley  of  decis- 
ion." Immediately,  on  his  making  this  resolve,  God 
began  to  draw  nigh  unto  him.  He  soon  saw  very  clear- 
ly that  he  was  not  wholly  sanctified.  I  met  with  him 
again  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day." 

"  I  see,"  said  he,  "  now  that  there  is  unbelief  in  my 
heart." 

"  Well,  the  Holy  Spirit  has  revealed  this  to  you  in 
order  that  you  may  be  saved  from  it ;  but  you  do  not 
feel  that  you  can  save  yourself ;  and,  if  Christ  alone  is 
to  save  you  from  it,  why  not  trust  in  him  to  save  you 
just  now  ?  " 

He  now  felt  that  there  was  too  much  to  be  done  in 

his  heart  to  be  so  fully  saved   in   so   short  a  time.      But 

12* 


138  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Saved  from  perplexity.  Feast  of  tabernacles. 

he  was  told  that  the  longer  he  staid  away  in  any  degree 
from  the  atonement,  the  deeper  the  stain  of  sin  becomes, 
as  every  moment's  delay  makes  us  the  more  unworthy. 
He  was  persuaded,  at  last,  to  make  the  venture  ;  and, 
in  a  moment,  proved  that,  "  He  is  able  to  save  unto 
the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto  God  by  him,  seeing  he 
ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us."  He,  from  this 
time,  became  a  joyful  witness  that  "  The  blood  of  Jesus 
cleanseth  from  all  sin."  How  soon  was  he  saved  from 
his  doctrinal  perplexities  on  resolving  that  he  would  not 
rest  until  he  experimentally  knew  of  the  doctrine  ! 


"  Short  is  our  longest  clay  of  life; 

And  soon  its  prospect  ends ; 
Yet,  on  this  day's  uncertain  date, 

Eternity  depends : 
But  equal  to  our  being's  aim, 

The  space  to  virtue  given, 
And  every  moment,  well  improved, 

Secures  an  age  in  heaven." 

It  was  at  a  camp-meeting,  and  the  closing  love-feast 
was  being  held.  Much  interest  had  prevailed  on  the 
subject  of  holiness  during  the  process  of  the  meeting, 
and  many  had  there  received  the  sanctifying  seal.  Scores 
of  clear  witnesses  had  already  testified,  in  scriptural 
terms,  of  the  power  of  the  Sanctifier,  and  scores  more, 
with  longing  looks,  were  waiting  to  testify  that  the  blood 
of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  139 


Parting  talk.  What  is  God  going  to  do  with  the  sacrifice? 

A  lady  who  was  at  this  feast  of  tabernacles  from  a 
distance,  as  an  invited  guest,  at  last  arose,  and  asked  the 
privilege  of  a  little  parting  talk,  which  was  more  than 
willingly  granted.  She  spoke,  as  nearly  as  I  can  remem- 
ber, about  as  follows  : — 

"  I  did  not  speak  at  an  earlier  period  in  this  love-feast, 
because  it  always  has  seemed  to  me  ungenerous  for  any 
one  to  occupy  much  time  when  others  are  waiting,  long- 
ing for  the  privilege  of  giving  in  a  testimony.  Truly, 
it  may,  this  morning,  be  said,  '  Praise  waiteth  for  thee, 
O,  God,  in  Zion  ! '  I  have  waited  till  others  have  fin- 
ished giving  in  their  testimonies,  intending  to  occupy  a 
little  more  time  than  might  be  admissible,  if  it  were  not 
for  the  fact  that  I  am  so  soofi  to  leave  you,  and  may 
never  again  have  the  privilege  of  mingling  in  your  soci- 
ety till  we  meet  at  the  feast  of  the  Lamb.  I  cannot  tel] 
you  how  greatly  the  testimonies  I  have  heard  this  morn- 
ing have  inspired  my  heart.  I  have  looked  upon  the 
witnesses  who  have  risen  to  testify  that  they  have  set 
themselves  apart  and  received  the  sanctifying  seal,  as  set 
apart  to  labor  and  to  be  henceforth  '  workers  together 
with  God,'  in  saving  the  world.  I  heard  a  sister  at  a 
meeting  similar  to  this,  say,  in  an  affecting,  earnest  man- 
ner, ( I  have  laid  my  sacrifice  upon  the  altar,  but  O, 
what  is  the  Lord  going  to  do  with  it  ?  '  Brethren  and 
sisters,  God  is  going  to  use  our  sacrifices.  He  intends  to 
use  us  as  instruments  in  the  salvation  of  our  relatives, 
friends  and  neighbors.  As  in  ancient  time,  when  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem  were  being  reared,  every  man  was 
required  to  build  over  against  his  house,  so  every  one 


140  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Something  more  than  a  name.  The  work  of  the  Christian. 

is  now  called  to  a  specific  proportion  of  labor.  And 
entire  holiness  implies  an  entire  identification  with  the 
work  of  the  Lord.  Not  that  I  think  the  Lord  would 
have  us  unmindful  of  our  ordinary  avocations,  but  he 
would  have  us  make  our  every-day  associations  subser- 
vient to  the  spiritual  interests  of  those  with  whom  we 
are  thus  connected,  so  that  we  may  say  : — 

'  Every  work  I  do  below 
I  do  it  to  the  Lord.' 

"  From  my  own  realizations,  I  can  testify  that  entire 
sanctification — holiness  to  the  Lord — is  something  more 
than  a  blessing  in  name  The  terms  are  significantly 
expressive  of  the  state.  I  have  no  fellowship  with  any 
sort  of  sanctification  that  wraps  itself  up  in  rapturous  01 
mystical  experience,  and  does  not  tell  on  the  salvation  of 
sinners.  Holiness  implies  the  dedication  of  all  the  pow- 
ers of  body  and  mind  to  the  promotion  of  Christ's  king- 
dom— an  entire  identification  of  interest  with  the  purposes 
of  God.  And  here,  let  me  testify  that,  for  the  last  sev- 
enteen years,  I  consciously  have  had  no  separate  interests 
from  those  which  stand  connected  with  the  salvation  of 
the  world.  Every  thing  sinks  into  insignificance  in 
comparison  with  the  great  work  of  saving  sinners.  If  I 
have  a  passion  for  one  thing  above  another,  it  is  that  oi 
soul-saving.  We  are  called  to  be  followers  of  Christ ; 
and,  though  we  cannot  follow  him  in  his  vicarious  death, 
yet  we  can  follow  him  in  manifestations  of  self-sacrificing 
zeal  and  love.  Christ  left  the  pure  atmosphere  of  heav- 
en, the  songs  of  angels,  and  the  holy  society  of  kindred 
spirits,  where  all  is  harmony  and  love,  for  a  residence  of 


ECONOMY      OF      S  A  L  *  /.  S 1  O  N  .  141 


Jesus'  sacrificing  spirit.  A  tiuesUts..  A  proposition. 


years  in  this  sin-polluted  world,  to  bear  Ci  the  contradic- 
tion of  sinners/'  to  hear  the  wails  of  sorrow  occasioned 
by  sin,  and  to  endure  the  agonies  of  the  cross  ;  all  to 
save  sinners.  Did  the  spirit  of  Christ  induce  him  to 
make  sacrifices  ?  Then  the  Christian  must,  in  his  meas- 
ure, be  actuated  by  the  same  spirit ;  for  "  If  any  man 
have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his."  I 
always  measure  my  attainments  in  grace  by  the  degrees 
I  possess  of  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ. 

'  The  Christian  lives  to  Christ  alone, 
To  Christ  alone  he  dies  ' 

"  I  need  not  say  to  you,  my  dear  brethren  and  sisters, 
that  you  cannot  retain  the  blessing  of  holiness,  unless, 
on  all  suitable  occasions,  you  are  willing  to  confess  it. 
It  is  a  gift  from  God,  and  God  requires  the  acknowledg- 
ment of  every  good  thing  that  is  in  us,  by  Christ  Jesus. 
But  do  vou  indeed  desire  that  the  communication  of  your 
faith  may  be  greatly  effectual  ?  Do  you  desire  that  your 
friends  and  neighbors  may  know  that  entire  sanctification 
is  something  more  than  a  blessing  in  name  ?  Do  you 
desire  that  the  cause  should  not  be  harmed  by  its  being 
said  of  you,  '  What  do  ye  more  than  others  V  Do  you 
desire  that  a  greater  revival  than  has  been  known  in  this 
region,  should  be  the  fruits  of  this  camp-meeting  ?  Then 
let  me  suggest  to  you  a  way  by  which  these  most  desira- 
ble results  may  be  brought  about.  Let  me  ask  that  you 
here  set  apart  a  given  portion  of  every  day  to  labor 
specifically  in  the  work  of  soul-saving.  I  do  not  mean 
solely  that  you  devote  this   time  to  prayer  for  sinners  ; 


14&  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

Personal  effort.        David's  principle.        A  fraction  of  time  every  day  for  soul-saving. 

this,  of  course,  you  will  not  neglect  ;  but  what  I  mean 
is,  that  you  set  apart  a  portion  of  time  daily  to  go  out 
among  sinners,  and  let  them  know  that  you  are  praying 
for  them,  and  that  you  mean  to  follow  them  with  your 
prayers  and  entreaties  till  they  are  won  over  to  Christ. 
Let  them  know  that  you  feel  that  their  state  is  exceed- 
ingly perilous,  and  their  souls  of  such  infinite  worth  that 
you  are  willing  to  make  sacrifices  of  time  and  labor  in 
their  behalf,  and  are  resolved  not  to  give  them  up. 
David  scorned  to  sacrifice  that  which  cost  him  nothing. 
Let  your  business  associations  and  domestic  arrangements 
show  that  your  time  and  means  are  set  apart  for  holy 
purposes,  all  being  made  subservient  to  the  salvation  of 
those  around  you.  Do  not  forget  that  you  are  to  act 
not  only  on  the  principle  which  David  avowed,  when  he 
said,  '  Shall  I  sacrifice  that  which  cost  me  nothing  ? ' 
but,  if  you  have  the  spirit  of  Christ,  you  are  required  to 
exhibit  before  the  world  the  principles  upon  which  your 
Savior  practised.  Trample  on  pleasure  and  pain,  repu- 
tation, ease  and  wealth  ;  bid  defiance  to  the  shrinkings 
of  the  flesh ;  forego,  if  need  be,  the  companionship  of 
the  pious,  to  seek  and  save  the  lost,  perishing  sinner. 
If  you  cannot  appropriate  two  hours  per  day,  specifically 
in  this  employ,  appropriate  one.  If  you  cannot,  by  rising 
earlier  or  retiring  later,  or  by  more  careful  economy  in 
saving  up  your  moments  from  things  less  important, 
save  up  two  hours  for  soul-saving,  then,  if  you  can,  set 
apart  one  hour,  and  if  you  are  so  circumstanced,  by  your 
engagements  to  others,  that  you  cannot  set  apart  one  hour, 
you  surely  can,  in  the  evening,  if  &at  through  the  day. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  143 


Order.        "Decision.        Now  !         How  souls  are  ^s*;  Motives  for  a  plan  of  labor. 


appropriate  one  half-hour  out  of  the  twenty- four,  for  this 
one  great  work  of  the  Christian. 

<:  Little  is  ever  accomplished  without  system  and 
decision.  '  Order  is  heaven's  first  law.'  If  any  thing 
of  moment  is  to  be  done,  the  time  must  be  set  when  we 
are  to  say,  £It  shall  be  done  now.''  All  the  sinners  on 
this  ground  intend  to  be  saved ;  but  they  do  not  bring 
it  to  the  point  now.  Many  of  them,  doubtless,  will 
leave  it  day  after  day,  till  the  last  day  of  life  comes 
unexpectedly,  and  what  should  have  been  the  business 
of  life  is  left  till  too  late,  and  all  is  lost.  So  it  may  be 
with  us  in  regard  to  lost  opportunities.  Souls  will  be 
lost  which  ought  to  have  a  timely  warning  from  us, 
anless  we  set  apart  some  time  to  labor  for  them.  It  is 
true  that,  with  the  wholly  sanctified,  all  the  time  is 
sanctified.  Time,  with  talent  and  influence,  has  been 
laid  upon  the  altar.  We  do  not  doubt  but  every  child 
of  God  on  this  encampment  i?itcnds,  on  going  home,  to 
work  for  God  during  the  coming  year  as  never  before. 
Yet,  as  ever,  each  hour  will  bring  its  demands  of  ordi- 
nary care  ;  and  I  fear  little  more  will  be  done  than  has 
been  done,  unless  some  specific  appropriation  of  time  be 
made. 

"  We  have  come  a  long  distance  to  be  present  with 
you  ;  but  a  hundred  times  over  should  we  be  repaid  if 
we  might  only  know  that  all  here,  who  have  professed 
to  be  wholly  sanctified,  would  set  apart  but  one  half- 
hour  daily,  from  this  day,  September  2d,  1854,  to  Sep- 
tember 2d,  1855,  specifically  to  the  work  of  soul- 
saving." 


144  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  demonstration.  Three  hundred  yolunteers.  The  computation. 


Perhaps  a  score  or  more  of  preachers  were  around, 
and  on  the  minister's  stand,  with  the  excellent  presid- 
ing elder  at  their  head.  The  sister  then  turned  appeal- 
ingly  to  the  presiding  officer  of  the  meeting,  and  asked 
if  it  would  meet  his  approval  to  have  a  demonstration 
of  those  who  engage  in  this  "  half-hour  proposition." 
The  worthy  elder  hailed  the  proposal  with  delight,  and 
desired  all,  who  would  solemnly  before  God  so  engage, 
to  rise  and  so  pledge  themselves  by  standing  on  their 
feet.  A  host  of  laborers,  of  about  three  hundred,  arose, 
and  stood  looking  like  an  army  of  invincibles.  O,  how 
the  sight  of  our  eyes  gladdened  our  heart,  as  we  be- 
held this  band  of  strong,  joyous  volunteers  for  God  ! 
The  sister  who  had  made  the  proposal  was  affected,  and 
cried  out,  "  Now  I  know  that  you  will,  indeed,  have 
such  a  revival  as  has  never  before  been  witnessed  in  this 
region.  Praise  !  praise  the  Lord  ! '  The  presiding  elder, 
with  evident  elation  of  feeling,  began  to  sum  up  how 
many  glorious  days  of  labor  three  hundred  half-hours 
daily  would  make  ;  but  the  hour  set  for  closing  the 
meeting  had  already  more  than  arrived,  and  this  ever-to- 
be-remembered  band  of  God's  sacramental  host  received 
the  apostolic  benediction,  and  separated  with  the  purpose 
of  each  man  going  after  his  man  as  in  the  days  of  an- 
cient warfare. 

But  five  days  had  intervened  when  we  again  heard 
from  "the  regions  round  about,"  where  this  army  of 
God's  elect  had  been  scattered,  and  what  was  our  joy  on 
hearing  that  the  work  of  revival  had  already  begun 
in   power  in  several  places  !     "  It  began  with  the  half- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  145 

Results.  The  laborers.  Proposition  to  the  reader.  Father  Reeves. 


hour  proposition"  said  the  informant.  In  several  places, 
souls  had  been  brought  to  bow  at  the  foot  of  the  cross 
as  earnest  seekers  of  salvation.  In  one  place,  eighteen, 
in  another  eleven,  &c,  &«.  Alleluia !  the  Lord  God 
omnipotent  reigneth  ! 

"  See  where  the  servants  of  the  Lord, 
A  busy  multitude,  appear, 
For  Jesus  day  and  night  employed, 
His  heritage  they  toil  to  clear. 

"  The  love  of  Christ  their  hearts  constrains, 
And  strengthens  their  unwearied  hands ; 
They  spend  their  sweat,  and  toil,  and  pains, 
To  cultivate  Immanuel's  lands." 

And  now  let  me  solemnly,  as  in  the  more  immediate 
presence  of  God,  ask  every  reader  of  this  article  to  unite 
in  this  iC  half  hour  proposition"  Do  not  say  that  you 
cannot  spare  the  time.  Scorn  to  sacrifice  that  which 
costs  you  nothing.  If  Christ  made  such  sacrifices  to 
save  your  soul,  rejoice  in  the  privilege  of  sacrificing  that 
which  costs  something  in  laboring  to  save  the  souls  of 
others.  Have  you  ever  read  "  Father  Reeves,"  the  poor 
mechanic,  who,  though  not  unmindful  of  the  duty  of 
caring  for  his  own  household,  found  that  working  from 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  eight  at  night,  did  not 
leave  him  quite  time  enough  to  go  out  among  the  people 
and  work  for  God,  so  he  resolved  on  living  on  six  or 
seven  shillings  per  week  less,  and  to  sacrifice  the  time  to 
God.  His  biographer  says,  "He  felt  called  upon  to  make 
sacrifices  ;  "  and  faith  in  God,  and  love  for  souls  impelled 
him  to  make  them.  A  poor  mechanic  sacrificing  some- 
thing over  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  week,  that  he 

13 


146  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

We  must  give  time.         Serving  God  by  proxy.         450  visits  a  year.         In  darkness. 

might  give  the  time  to  the  Lord,  is  an  act  of  faith  and 
devotion  rarely  equalled,  and  is  worthy  the  consideration 
of  men  of  superior  social  position,  who  will  willingly 
give  a  subscription  to  a  benevolent  object,  in  order  to  do 
good  by  proxy,  but  who  shun  personal  service.  '  Obe- 
dience is  better  than  sacrifice,'  a  subscription  costs  a  rich 
man  little,  and  it  is  not  clear  from  Scripture  that  any 
thing  short  of  personal  devotion  to  the  cause  of  God,  will 
be  accepted  by  him  who  hath  said,  "  Occupy  till  I 
come."  Father  Reeves  kept  an  account  of  the  number 
of  his  visits  for  several  successive  years,  and  during  the 
earlier  part  of  his  life  they  average  four  hundred  and 
fifty  a  year,  and  during  the  latter  part  of  his  life  they 
average  six  hundred  and  fifty  a  year.  This  was  a  man 
who,  for  the  greater  part  of  his  long  life,  was  wholly 
dependent  on  his  daily  labors,  and  yet,  with  all  this 
amount  of  labor,  he  found  time  for  public,  closet  and 
family  duties.  Take  an  extract  from  his  diary  as  a 
sample.     (See  Diary,  Dec.  1831.) 


m>i 


Jtt  lartass  jfrrrm  ^t%\td  4  IMg. 


You  say  you  are  in  darkness  ;  have  lost  your  roll, 
and  cannot  again  find  it,  and  that  you  are  more  than 
miserable.  Deeply  do  I  sympathize  with  you.  But, 
surely,  you  have  not  forgotten,  "  If  any  man  sin,  we 
have  an  advocate  with  the  Father."     Also,  "If  we  con 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  147 


The  laborers  axe  few  !  An  enthusiastic  doctrine.  Christ  was  dishonored. 

fess  our  sins,  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins, 
and  to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousnes."  You  con- 
fess your  sin,  and  why  not  at  once  claim  forgiveness  and 
cleansing  ?  In  view  of  your  statements,  I  do  not  doubt 
but  you  trespassed  in  refusing  to  labor  in  promoting  the 
cause  of  holiness.  "  The  laborers  are  few."  Witnesses 
who  testify  of  purity  of  heart  are  greatly  needed,  especi- 
ally in  the  region  in  which  you  reside.  And  in  propor- 
tion to  the  scarcity  of  the  laborers  is  the  call  imperative 
to  those  whom  God  has  enabled,  from  their  own  experi- 
ence of  the  great  salvation,  to  testify  of  what  they  know. 
The  feeling  of  disinclination  to  labor,  of  which  you  speak, 
was  doubtless  from  the  power  of  the  tempter.  But  "that 
we  are  not  to  do  good  unless  our  hearts  are  free  to  it," 
Mr.  Wesley  denominates  an  "  enthusiastic  doctrine." 

Indeed,  in  proportion  to  the  magnitude  of  the  work  the 
Lord  has  for  us  to  do,  we  shall  be  called  to  withstand 
satanic  influences  calculated  to  deter  us  from  our  work. 
But,  surely,  there  is  no  sin  in  feeling  these  dissuasive 
influences,  if  we  do  not  yield  to  them.  The  greater  the 
shrinking  of  the  flesh,  the  greater  the  victory  if  we  only 
resist.  You  did  not  resist,  and  the  Captain  of  your  sal- 
vation was  dishonored  by  your  defeat  ;  and  darkness 
and  misery  have  been  brought  upon  your  soul.  But  is 
it  not  your  duty,  now  that  you  confess  your  sin,  to 
believe  God  not  only  forgives,  but,  as  you  again  present 
yourself  wholly  to  God  through  Christ,  is  it  not  also  your 
duty  to  believe  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from 
all  unrighteousness  ?  And,  since  you  lost  the  blessing 
by  not  laboring  to  promote  the  cause  of  holiness  when 


148  ,       ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Pilgrim  and  his  roil.    The  open  fountain.    Of  faith,  the  witness  of  the  .Spirit,  aiid  joy 


you  had  reason  to  believe  it  was  your  duty  to  do  so, 
resolve  that  you  will,  from  this  hour,  redeem  the  time  in 
efforts  to  promote  the  cause  as  never  before.  Do  not 
forget  that,  when  Pilgrim  lost  his  roll,  he  went  right 
back  to  the  place  where  he  lost  it,  and  found  it  again., 
The  same  fountain  in  whose  waters  you  washed  and 
were  clean,  is  still  open,  still  flowing,  and  still  it  clean- 
seth  from  all  unrighteousness.  Will  you  not,  with  me, 
now  praise  the  Lord  for  this  ?     Will  you  not  just  now 

M  Plunge  into  the  purple  flood, 
Rise  in  all  the  life  of  God  »  ? 


i  <»  i 


SCto  titttes  of  the  £pirit. 


All  your  difficulties,  my  dear  brother,  seem  to  be 
the  consequence  of  this  error.  As  soon  as  your  sensi- 
ble emotion  had  subsided,  and  you  were  called  to  walk 
by  faith,  you  gave  up  your  confidence,  and  thought  you 
had  lost  the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  Now  the  witness  of 
the  Spirit  is  not  joyous  emotion.  At  the  time  of  its 
reception,  we  may  have  joyous  emotion  ;  but  this  is  not 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  "  He  that  believeth  hath 
the  witness  in  himself."  This,  I  apprehend  to  be  an 
internal  conviction,  produced  by  the  Spirit,  that  we 
have  the  grace  for  which  we  have  believed.  This  con- 
viction may  have  been  produced  in  the  heart  by  some 
noiseless  and  almost  indiscernible   process.     But,  if  we 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  119 

Faith  and  emotion.       Christ  in  the  wilderness.       "  Cast  not  away  your  confidence." 


have  that  knowledge,  it  does  not  matter  how  it  has  been 
received,  or  when.  To  know  the  fact  is  enough.  "  The 
wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the 
sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  and 
whither  it  goeth.  So  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the 
Spirit."  You  were  saved  by  grace,  through  faith.  Had 
you  remembered  this,  you  would  not  have  thrown  away 
the  blessing  of  salvation,  just  so  soon  as  God  began  to 
test  your  faith. 

The  Spirit  descended  like  a  dove,  and  abode  upon  the 
Savior.  Immediately  afterwards,  he  was  taken  by  the 
Spirit  into  the  wilderness,  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil. 
We  may  not  presume  that  while  he  was  there  with  the 
wild  beasts,  and  subject  to  more,  far  more,  dreadful 
suggestions  than  you  have  ever  known,  he  had  sensi- 
ble emotions  of  joy.  No  j  his  joy  was  to  submit  to 
the  will  of  his  heavenly  Father,  and  it  was  the  will 
of  his  Father  that  he  should  be  tempted.  And  so  his 
joy  consists  in  this.  Looking  at  the  matter  in  this  way, 
we  can  easily  conceive  how  we  may  count  it  all  joy 
when  we  fall  into  divers  temptations.  So,  my  brother, 
you  see  we  may  know,  with  the  Savior,  that  we  have 
the  abidings  of  the  Spirit,  however  severely  tempted. 
Had  you,  while  being  tempted,  obeyed  the  command  of 
your  Lord,  "  Cast  not  away  your  confidence"  you  would 
have  found  yourself  a  gainer  in  the  end.  A  firmer 
establishment  of  soul  would  have  succeeded,  and  you 
would  now  have  been  prepared  to  comfort  those  who 
are  in  tribulation,  with  the  comfort  wherewith  you  were 
comforted   of  God.     In   casting  away  your   confidence, 

13* 


150  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Faith  not  emotion.  Confession  before  forgiveness. 

you  displeased  God ;  for  he  has  said,  "  The  just  shall 
live  by  faith,"  (not  emotion.)  In  yielding  up  your 
faith  because  you  had  not  joyous  emotion,  you  grieved 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  such  a  degree,  that  I  do  not  wonder 
your  distress  has  become  so  grievous.  For  God  has 
said,  "  If  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  no 
pleasure  in  him." 

TO  A  SEEKER  OF  THE  WITNESS  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 

You  say,  my  dear  brother,  that  you  will  do  any  thing 
1  will  advise.  In  the  name  of  the  Lord,  I  would  now 
advise  that  you  confess  your  sin  in  having  cast  away  your 
confidence.  Tell  the  Lord  that  you  now  desire  and 
intend,  from  this  moment,  to  obey  him,  and,  as  he  has 
said  "  The  just  shall  live  by  faith,"  you  desire  rather  to 
live  a  life  of  faith,  than  a  life  of  emotion.  And,  now, 
my  brother,  begin  at  once  to  bring  forth  fruits  meet  for 
repentance.  Resume  your  confidence.  God  did  not 
take  it  from  you.  You  cast  it  away,  and  now  he  again 
commands  you  to  believe.  Do  not  wait  till  you  are 
more  worthy ;  for  every  moment's  delay  makes  you 
more  unworthy.  Do  not  try  to  save  yourself;  for 
Christ  alone  can  save. 

Not  even  in  the  least  degree  can  you  save  yourself. 
If  your  heart  is  unmoved,  and  hard,  do  not  calculate  on 
bringing  it  up  unto  a  condition  of  earnest  and  vigorous 
affection  yourself.  Let  your  first  endeavor  be  to  yield  it 
up  to  God.  He  has  assured  you  that  the  preparation 
of  the  heart  is  with  him.  It  is  your  Savior  who  is  to 
take  away  the  heart  of  stone,  and  give  a  heart  of  flesh. 
If  you  should  yield  your  heart  up  wholly  to  him  in  pre- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION  151 


Christ  receives  what  we  give.  What  is  the  witness. 


cisely  the  state  in  which  it  now  is,  what  do  you  think  he 
would  do  with  it  ?  Do  you  imagine  it  would  long  con- 
tinue in  its  present  unfeeling  condition?  My  advice  is, 
that  you  now  resign  yourself  believingly  into  his  hands. 

Are.  you  doing  this  now  ? Do  you  say, 

yes?  Then  Christ  is  now  receiving  you — he  is  now 
saving  you.  Now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  He  is  doing 
it,  let  your  emotions  be  what  they  may.  You  may  say, 
I  do  not  feel  it.  Remember  faith  is  not  feeling.  You 
are  not  saved  by  feeling,  but  by  faith.  "Thy  faith 
hath  saved  thee  ;  go  in  peace,  and  sin  no  more."  Yes, 
the  moment  you  do  this,  you  are  saved.  Could  you 
weep  rivers  of  tears,  you  could  not  induce  the  Savior  to 
save  you  in  any  other  way.  We  must  trust  in  Christ 
to  do  for  us  what  wre  know  wre  cannot  do  for  ourselves. 
The  faith  that  saves  is  trust.  And  the  gospel  proposes 
no  other  way  to  be  saved  than  that  of  a  present  and  con- 
tinuous trust  in  Christ.  Emotion,  or  no  emotion,  if  you 
are  now  doing  this,  you  are  now  being  saved.  When 
you  do  this,  the  Spirit,  through  the  revealed  word,  tells 
you  that  you  are  saved.  He  that  believcth  hath  the 
witness  in  himself.  The  consciousness,  or,  in  other 
words,  the  knowledge  that  it  is  so,  is  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit.  For  it  is  the  Spirit  alone  that  can  produce  this 
consciousness. 

A  short  time  since,  a  sister  said  to  me,  "  I  believe  I  do 
love  the  Lord  with  all  my  heart."  "  Do  you  not  know 
it?  "  said  I.  "  Yes,  I  know  it,"  she  replied  ;  "  but  I  want 
the  witness"  I  turned  to  Dr.  B.,  who  was  standing  by, 
and  said,  "  Here,  Dr.  B.,  is  a  sister  who  believes  and  knows 


152  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


"I  believe,  and  know,  but  want  the  witness." 


that  she  loves  the  Lord  with  all  her  heart,  but  she  wants 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit  that  it  is  so."  Dr.  B.,  addressing 
himself  to  her,  said,  "  You  believe  the  sun  shines — you 
know  it,  and  now  do  you  want  the  witness  of  it  ?  Is  not 
the  knowledge  of  it  imparted  through  the  agency  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  witnessing  with  your  spirit  ?  What  witness, 
beyond  what  you  have,  do  you  need,  since  you  have  the 
knowledge  of  the  fact  ? '  O,  yes,  "  He  that  believeth  hath 
the  witness  in  himself."  Remember  that,  in  believing 
the  word  of  the  immutable  Jehovah,  you  have  a  founda- 
tion for  your  faith  immovable  as  the  throne  of  the  eter- 
nal. You  believe  your  fallible  friend,  and,  without  a 
shadow  of  doubt,  speak  to  your  friends  of  your  faith  in 
my  word.  Your  faith  in  me  produces  some  effect;  for 
your  exhibit,  not  only  by  your  words,  but  by  your  ac- 
tions, your  faith  in  what  I  say.  Should  I  write  you  now 
that  one  of  your  dearest  friends,  for  whose  salvation 
you  have  been   greatly  desirous,  was   converted  at  the 

1ST St.  altar,  last  evening,  your  heart  would  at  once 

leap  with  delight,  and  you  would  hasten  to  inform  your 

Brother   S .     It  is  because  you  have  faith  in  my 

written  word.  But  how  .  can  I  speak  in  words  that  will 
do  justice  to  the  subject,  when  I  would  speak  of  the  dif 
ference  between  the  words  of  man  and  the  words  of  God  . 
"  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit, 
and  they  are  life."  "  He  that  believeth  on  me,  though 
he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live."  But  where  shall  I 
pause?  When  I  get  on  this  theme, — the  divinity  of 
the  word  of  God, — my  heart  ever  burns  with  heavenly 
inspirations,   and    its   ardors    seem  to  know  no  bound. 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  153 


You  brought  it  upon  yourself  The  simplicity  of  faith. 


»But  I  must  pause  now.     Time  fails  me,  and  I  may  not 
proceed.     My  object,  just  now,  is  to  assure  you  of  your 
error  in    entertaining  the  idea  that  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit  was    gone,   because     your  sensible    emotions    of 
joy  had   subsided.     I  want   to   convince  you   that  you 
brought   this   grievous   distress   upon   yourself  because 
you  gave   up  your  hold  upon   the  promises  in  conse- 
quence of  imbibing  this  erroneous  impression.     I  want 
to  tell  you   that,  if  you  now  heartily  believe  God,  you 
will  have  an  experimental  realization  of  salvation.     This 
realization  is  produced  in  the  heart  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  is  the  witness  of  the  Spirit.     By  what 
power  could  it  have  been  produced,  but  by  that  of  the 
Spirit  ?     You  see  the  singular  position  of  the  sister  to 
whom  I  have  referred,  who  said,  "  I  want  the  witness  ;" 
but  I  have  met  with  many  who  occupy  about  the  same 
position,  and  who  are  continually  indulging  themselves 
in  endless  perplexities  about  the  doctrine  of  the  witness 
of  the  Spirit,  as  though  there  were  an  indefinable  mys- 
teriousness  about  it.     Whole  books  have  been  written 
as  elucidatory,  and  I  have,  in  my  mind's  eye,  those  who 
have  labored  more  to  study  and  inwardly  digest  these, 
than  they  have   in   coming   down   to   the  simple  Bible 
fact,  "He  that  believeth  hath  the   witness  in  himself." 
The  Bible  makes  it  so  simple  and  intelligible,  that  the 
multiplying  of  words   seems   like  putting  darkness  for 
light.      My   dear   brother,  let  us  thank   God,   and  take 
courage.      Let  us  just  now  bow  down,  and,  in  humble- 
ness of  mind,  laud  and  magnify  his  excellent  name,  that 
he   has  made   the   way   of  salvation  so  plain   that  way- 
faring men,  though  fools,  shall  not  err  therein. 


154  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Duty  of  "  the  bride."  The  persevering  invitation. 

fJOTomtt  (Kfflart  to  dhtlist  Jfedura  of  Jlaltmto. 

A  protracted  meeting  is  in  progress,  and  what  earnest 
Christian  does  not  feel  the  importance  of  going,  under 
such  circumstances,  and  inviting  sinners  to  come  to 
Christ  ?  "  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come."  It  is  not 
enough  that  the  Spirit  say,  Come !  The  bride  must  do 
her  part  of  the  work,  and  also  say,  Come  !  And  is  not 
the  Spirit  always  saying,  Come  ?  And  if  the  bride,  or,  in 
other  words,  the  church,  in  her  individual  membership, 
— if  these  were  also  ever  saying,  Come, — what  a  contin- 
uous work  of  revival  should  we  have  !  I  once  heard  a 
minister,  by  way  of  illustrating  this  text,  say :  A  lady 
provides  a  feast,  and  fixes  her  mind  resolutely  on 
having  this  and  the  other  particular  friend  present. 
She  goes  to  her  friend,  but  her  friend  pleads  previous 
engagements.  But  she  resolves  on  taking  no  denial. 
As  her  friend  brings  up  excuses,  she,  with  affectionate 
fixedness  of  purpose,  puts  one  after  another  aside,  and 
finally  triumphs  in  success.  Well,  the  Spirit  and  the 
bride  say,  Come  ;  and  are  you,  as  a  member  of  Christ's 
church,  diligently  saying — to  your  friends,  neighbors, 
and  to  those  unawakened  sinners  connected  with  the 
congregation  with  whom  you  stand  in  church  relation, 
— saying  to  all  these,  "  Come,  for  all  things  are  now 
ready  "  ?  Much  may  be  accomplished  by  these  efforts. 
The  Spirit  does  the  work,  but  the  church,  in  her  indi- 
vidual membership,  are  the  agents.  And  though  the 
Snirit  says,  Come,  we  are  not  to  expect  to  see  the  work 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  155 

A  work  for  every  Christian.  A  visit  to  the  gallery  contemplated. 

accomplished  unless  the  individual  membership  come  up 
*f  to  the  help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against 
the  mighty."  Do  not  think  it  optional  with  yourself 
whether  you  will  extend  these  gospel  invitations. 

It  is  the  design  of  God  that  every  redeemed  sinner 
shall  be  specially  invited.  What  a  work  is  before  every 
individual  Christian !  Surely,  help  is  needed.  What 
might  be  the  result  of  this  meeting,  should  every  mem- 
ber, individually  and  collectively,  engage  in  urging  the 
gospel  invitation !  We  little  know  what  the  result  of 
one  well-directed  effort  may  be.  Shall  I  tell  you  of 
some  encouragements  and  condescensions  of  grace  con- 
nected with  my  own  efforts  in  urging  the  gospel  invita- 
tion? 

A    FLIGHT    TO    THE    ALTAR. 

Sitting,  one  Sabbath  evening,  in  the  midst  of  one  of 
our  large  city  congregations,  my  heart  was  deeply  pen- 
etrated, as  I  cast  my  eye  on  the  thoughtless  ones  in  the 
gallery.  Judging  from  appearances,  most  of  them  were 
votaries  of  fashion  and  folly.  "  Without  God,  having 
no  hope  in  the  world  "  !  exclaimed  my  heart,  as  I  pre- 
sented wishful  desires  to  heaven  in  their  behalf.  "  Sup- 
pose," said  the  Spirit,  u  it  should  be  your  duty  to  go  up 
there,  and  mingle  with  them,  and  try  to  urge  some  of 
them  to  come  to  Christ."  I  was  not  then  so  much  accus- 
tomed to  being  "  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,"  and 
my  nature  shrunk  from  the  publicity,  and  the  apparent 
officiousness  of  such  an  act.  But  I  dared  not  do  other- 
wise than  bring  the  matter  closely  to  the  Lord,  and,  in 
doing  so,  duty  was  made  plain. 


156  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Serious  but  mute.  A  message  from  God.  A  sudden  movement. 


I  then  asked  believingly,  that  the  Lord  would  direct 
my  steps.  I  noticed  a  young  lady  that  looked  serious, 
though  not  apparently  affected.  I  addressed  her  on  the 
subject  of  religion,  but  could  elicit  no  answer  to  my 
various  inquiries,  though  she  seriously  listened.  My 
efforts  being  apparently  unavailing,  I  left  her.  I  pressed, 
with  urgency,  the  gospel  invitation  on  several  others.  A 
few  accepted,  and  went  forward  for  prayers.  But  still, 
my  heart  seemed  pressed  with  the  conviction  that  the 
object  for  which  I  had  been  specially  sent  there  was  not 
answered.  I  asked  the,  Lord  if  it  were  indeed  so,  that 
mv  mind  might  still  be  directed. 

The  young  lady  I  had  addressed  on  entering  the 
gallery,  still  sat  there,  in  a  serious  and  rather  pensive 
mood.  Believing  that  "  He  that  asketh  reccivcth"  I 
asked  for  a  message  from  God  to  her,  and  felt  that  I 
received  what  I  had  asked.  I  went  to  the  young 
lady,  and,  trusting  in  the  Spirit  to  give  power,  I  solemnly 
said,  "  I  have  a  message  from  God  unto  thee ! '  It  was 
evident  that  the  Holy  Spirit  accompanied  the  words  with 
much  power  to  her  inmost  heart.  The  great  deep  was 
being  broken  up,  and  the  large  tears  began  to  drop  in 
quick  succession.  Observing  this,  I  said,  "  If  you  wish 
to  have  the  united  prayers  of  God's  people,  I  will  go 
with  you  from  the  gallery,  and  we  will  go  forward  to- 
gether to  the  altar  of  prayer."  But  she  was  still,  as  before, 
silent.  A  young  lady  rose  by  her  side  to  go  out,  when 
she  suddenly  started  up  too.  The  movement  was  so 
unexpected,  and  she  was  so  powerfully  convicted,  that  I 
thought  she  was  going  to  dart  out  of  the  church,  to  hide. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  157 


The  surprise.  Haste.  A  family  of  eleven  converted. 


from  the  presence  of  God,  and  I,  with  sorrow  and  sur- 
prise, said, 

"  What !  going  away  ?  " 

"  Going  down  to  the  altar !  "  she  exclaimed  quickly. 
As  I  had  promised  to  go  with  her,  I,  of  course,  felt  the 
duty  of  being  true  to  my  word.  But  she  preceded  me 
to  the  altar  so  rapidly,  that,  in  order  to  go  with  her,  I 
really  had  to  make  myself  a  spectacle  to  the  congregation, 
and  run.  Her  haste  reminded  me  of  Bunyan's  Christian, 
fleeing  from  the  City  of  Destruction,  crying,  Life  !  Life ! 
Eternal  Life  ! 

For  three  days,  she  sought  Jesus,  sorrowing,  when  he 
revealed  himself  to  her,  the  "  fairest  among  ten  thousand," 
and  the  one  "  altogether  lovely."  Her  friends  were  all 
entirely  irreligious  ;  and,  themselves  unaccustomed  to 
attend  the  means  of  grace,  they  opposed  her  attendance, 
and  variously  persecuted  her,  to  turn  her  from  the  right 
way  of  the  Lord.  She  had  been  a  gay  votary  of  the 
world.  I  advised  her  not  to  compromise  true  Christian 
principles  in  any  iota,  but  to  serve  the  Lord  with  earnest 
steadfastness,  manifesting  that  she  had  given  up  the 
world,  and  exhibiting,  by  her  daily  walk  and  conversa- 
tion, all  the  lovely  proprieties  of  a  religious  life,  assuring 
her,  if  she  would  do  this,  that  the  Lord  would  permit 
her  to  see  the  salvation  of  her  relatives.  It  was  not 
long  before  the  different  branches  of  the  family,  father, 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  married  and  unmarried, 
were  also  induced  to  attend  the  means  of  grace  ;  and,  in 
less  than  three  months,  the  family  circle,  eleven  in  num- 
ber, were  all  brought  into  the  fold  of  Christ.      Surely,  it 


14 


158  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

A  danger.  God  gives  the  word,  and  we  must  carry  it.  Labor  not  in  vain. 

is  important  to  attend  to  these  gentle  impressions  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  makes  on  the  heart.  We  would  not 
encourage  fanatical  hap-hazard  efforts  ;  but  there  is 
danger  of  over-nicety  —  danger  of  being  so  fearful  of 
following  impressions,  as  not  to  follow  any  impression 
made  by  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  heart.  How  can  the 
Holy  Spirit  do  much  with  such  instrumentalities  toward 
the  world's  conversion  ? 

It  is  God  that  gives  the  word,  and  we,  as  agents,  must 
be  ready  to  convey  it  to  the  sinner.  A  number  of  times 
have  I,  during  our  protracted  meeting,  looked  upon  the 
gay  and  thoughtless,  and  asked  the  Lord  to  speak  through 
me  to  them.  I  have  then,  as  in  the  case  just  narrated, 
taken  the  message,  and  delivered  it  as  from  the  High 
and  Holy  One.  God  has  honored  my  faith,  and  often 
owned  the  effort  in  the  speedy  conviction  of  the  sinner. 
Surely,  in  this,  as  in  all  other  matters,  "  according  to 
our  faith  "it  is  done  unto  us.  I  believe,  in  answer  to 
strong  faith,  God  will  always  send  the  message  to  the 
sinner's  heart ;  and  though  they  may  not  always  yield, 
yet  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church  to  give  the  invitation, 
whether  sinners  will  hear  or  forbear.  The  throne  of 
God  must  be  guiltless.  Christians  are  workers  together 
with  God,  and,  if  truly  spiritually-minded,  are  either  a 
savor  of  life  unto  life,  or  of  death  unto  death,  to  those 
with  whom  they  communicate. 

THE  MISTAKE. 

On  one  occasion  I  made  an  apparent  mistake,  by 
speaking  to  a  professor,  supposing  I  was  addressing  one 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  .    159 


A  professor  taken  for  a  worldling.  A  gay  lady.  Expostulation. 


whose  heart  was  wholly  in  the  world.  "  And  why  did 
you  speak  to  me  as  to  one  not  professing  religion  ?  " 
asked  this  gay  church  member.  We  did  not  tell  her, 
being  quite  sure  that  she  might  readily  infer  the  cause. 
Is  not  "  the  friendship  of  this  world  enmity  with  God  ?  " 
and  if  any  man  will  be  the  friend  of  the  world,  is  he  not 
the  enemy  of  God  ?  Strange !  that  the  professed  follow- 
ers of  Christ  should  love  to  be  so  like  the  world  in  spirit 
and  appearance,  that  it  should  be  difficult  to  distinguish 
them. 

The  next  evening  I  thought,  now  I  will  be  careful 
not  to  speak  to  a  professor  for  a  worldling  again.  I  will 
look  for  the  most  in  eligious-looking,  worldly-conformed 
person  in  the  house.  I  singled  out  one  who  seemed 
wholly  irreligious,  and  was  remarkable  for  the  gaiety  of 
her  appearance.  I  asked  her  if  she  did  not  think  it  her 
duty  to  set  out  in  the  service  of  the  Savior.  She  assured 
me  that  she  had  not  been  in  the  habit  of  thinking  seri- 
ously on  the  subject.     I  said, 

"  Though  you  may  not  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
thinking  much,  yet  it  is  your  duty  to  think.  It  was 
the  sin  of  Israel  that  thev  did  not  consider.  You  know, 
as  a  redeemed  creature,  you  belong  to  God.  You  know 
that  you  are  not  your  own  ;  for  you  have  been  bought 
with  a  price.  O,  why  do  you  not  begin  to  seek  the 
Lord  ?  " 

She  was  courteous  and  respectful,  as  every  one  duly 
acquainted  with  the  proprieties  of  life  will  be,  when 
addressed  in  regard  to  the  highest,  and  most  ennobling 
of  all  subjects,  the  salvation  of  the  soul.     But  from  the 


1(30  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

An  excuse  offered — and  answered.  A  question  of  faith.  A  concession. 

fact  that  it  is  not  common,  in  our  congregations,  to 
address  persons  in  regard  to  their  individual  salvation, 
who  do  not  manifest  any  interest  on  the  subject,  she 
probably  wondered  why  I  should  have  singled  out  such 
an  unlikely  subject  as  herself. 

As  a  reason  why  she  could  not  begin  at  once  to  seek 
the  Lord,  she  said, 

"  I  have  no  feeling  on  the  subject  of  religion." 

"  But  do  you  not  know  that  it  is  your  duty  to  begin 
to  seek  the  Lord  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  it  is." 

"Let  us  settle  this  question.  It  either  is  your  duty, 
or  it  is  not.  You  believe  the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God, 
do  you  not  ?  " 

She  looked  as  if  she  could  chide  me  for  asking  the 
question,  and  exclaimed,  with  some  warmth, 

"Certainly  I  do  !" 

"  And  do  you,  indeed,  believe  it  to  be  God's  word, 
as  truly  as  though  you  could  hear  him  speaking  in  tones 
of  thunder  from  the  heavens,  as  when  uttered  on  Sinai  ?  " 

"  I  do  !  " 

"  If,  then,  you  could  hear  the  voice  of  God,  sounding 
out  from  the  highest  heavens,  speaking  directly  to  you, 
telling  you  the  precise  moment  when  you  must  begin  to 
seek  the  Lord,  you  would  not  delay  one  moment.  You 
would  not  hesitate  about  duty,  would  you  ?  " 

"  No,  indeed,  I  would  not." 

"  Now;  my  friend,  God  is  speaking  to  you  from  heaven 
this  moment.  You  say  you  believe  the  Bible  is  his 
word,  as  truly  as  though  you  could  hear  him  speak  from 


(( 

(( 


ECOJNOMY      OF      SALVATION.  161 

The  act  and  the  time.  Directions  for  obtaining  the  requisite  feeling. 

heaven.  God,  by  the  voice  of  his  word,  is  now  saying 
to  you,  'Give  me  thy  heart.'  If  you  say,  '  When, 
Lord  ? '  he  tells  you  just  when.  '  Now  is  the  accepted 
time ;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation.'  i  It  is 
time  to  seek  the  Lord.'  How  can  the  duty  of  the 
present  moment  be  made  plainer  ?  You  cannot,  without 
making  yourself  a  greater  sinner,  hesitate  for  one 
moment.  You  cannot  hesitate  from  the  idea  that  you 
are  not  convicted  ;  for  the  knowledge  of  duty  is  ^con- 
viction." 

But  I  have  no  feeling." 

If  I  will  tell  you  just  how   you  may  get  feeling, 
will  you  follow  my  advice  ?  " 

« I  will." 

Then,  go  kneel  there,  with  those  seekers  of  salvation. 
Begin  to  call  upon  the  Lord.  Christ  is  exalted  to  be  a 
Prince  and  a  Savior,  to  give  repentance  unto  Israel,  and 
remission  of  sins.  Call  upon  Christ  for  the  gift  of 
repentance.  You  will  then  have  the  united  prayers  of 
God's  people.  There  will  be  more  than  two  or  three 
agreed  in  presenting  your  case  to  God.  The  fervent, 
effectual  prayer  of  the  righteous  availeth  much.  Many 
seekers  of  salvation  have  found  the  Savior  under  sim- 
ilar circumstances.  It  is  not  until  the  day  that  you 
seek  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart,  that  he  promises  to 
be  found  of  you.  Seek  him  now  with  all  your  heart, 
and  he  will  now  be  found  of  you.  You  know  your 
duty,  and  if  you  will  now  yield  to  these  convictions,  you 
will  have  all  the  feeling  that  will  be  needful.  It  is  not 
feeling  that  is  to  save  you ;  Christ  alone  is  the  Savior. 

14* 


16£  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Seeking  God  without  a  tear.         Converted  in  an  hour.         The  jailer  and  Peter 

Yielding  to  these  solemn  convictions  of  duty,  but 
without  shedding  a  tear,  this  gay  votary  of  fashion  went 
forward,  and,  with  several  other  seekers  of  salvation  who 
had  presented  themselves,  she  knelt  at  the  altar  of 
prayer.  She  had  been  there  but  a  few  moments  before 
manifestations  of  feeling  were  abundant.  She  wept 
profusely.  She  sought  the  Lord  with  all  her  heart.  And 
how  long  does  it  take  such  an  one  to  find  the  Lord  ?  If 
I  should  say  the  whole  process  of  awakening  and  con- 
version did  not  occupy  quite  an  hour,  would  you 
doubt  the  genuineness  of  the  work  ?  Do  not  say,  yes, 
until  after  you  have  ascertained  how  long  it  took  the 
Lord  to  convert  the  jailer  in  the  days  of  Paul. 

# 

A    CONVERSION    QUESTIONED,    AND    WHY! 

I  say  this,  because  the  experience  of  one  of  my 
friends,  whose  conversion  was  thus  rapid  in  its  pro- 
cesses, was  so  seriously  questioned  as  to  be  well-nigh 
fatal  to  the  convert.  The  conversion  was  not  ques- 
tioned because  the  fruits  were  wanting ;  but  because  it 
was  so  sudden.  And  these  questionings,  too,  were 
from  the  lips  of  grave  divines.  Suppose,  the  second 
day  after  the  jailer's  conversion,  he  had  casually  fallen 
in  with  the  apostle  Peter.  He  tells  Peter  of  the  bliss- 
ful heart  realizations  which  have  resulted  from  his  faith 
in  Christ.  With  a  joyous  excitement  consequent  on 
the  sudden  transition  from  the  darkness  of  unbelief  to 
the  light  of  faith,  he  expatiates  on  the  blessedness  of  his 
change, — the  joy  and  peace  of  believing.  He  expects 
heart-inspiring  sympathy  from  Peter,  as  the  old  friend 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  163 


A  cooling  caution  from  Peter — and  then  another  from  John. 

of  Paul,  his  spiritual  father.  "  But/'  says  Peter,  u  my 
friend,  you  need  to  be  careful.  Paul  generally  produces 
an  excitement  wherever  he  goes.  A  great  many  sud- 
den conversions  take  place  under  his  ministry,  and,  as  a 
consequence,  spurious  conversions  are  not  uncommon. 
You  had  better  be  careful,  very  careful,  not  to  let  the 
intelligence  of  your  conversion  spread  abroad  till  after 
you  have  waited  long  enough  to  test  your  conversion 
fully,  and  know  that  it  is  genuine.  Do  you  not  think 
our  young  convert,  the  jailer,  by  this  time,  begins  to  feel 
his  confidence  decreasing,  and  the  excitements  of  his  first 
love  somewhat  lessened  ? 

But  he  goes  on,  and  unexpectedly  meets  the  apostle 
John,  another  of  the  old  friends  of  his  spiritual  father, 
Paul.  His  confidence  and  love  begin  to  gather  re- 
newed inspirations,  and  he  tremblingly  again  ven- 
tures to  tell  of  the  happy  change  wrought  in  his 
heart  through  faith  in  Christ.  John  looks  serious,  and, 
instead  of  manifesting  joyous  reciprocation,  begins  to 
speak  of  the  danger  of  being  deceived.  "  But,"  says 
the  jailer,  "  Paul  recognized  me  as  a  true  convert,  and 
baptized  me  as  such.  He  did  not  tell  me  I  had  reason 
to  fear  deception,  because  I  was  so  suddenly  converted." 
"  Yes,"  says  John,  "  but  Paul  was  himself  three  days 
under  conviction,  and  how  can  it  be  that  you  should  be 
converted  in  so  short  a  time  ?  "  "  It  has  been  much  on 
my  mind,"  says  our  young  convert,  "  that  I  ought  to 
come  out  at  once  before  the  world  in  the  profession  of 
my  faith."  "  But,"  says  John,  "  you  had  better  wait, 
and  be  sure  that  the  change  is  real,  and  not  the  effect  of 


164  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  young  convert  and  his  pastor.        Dissuasions.        Darkness.        Light  again. 

sudden  excitement ;  for,  if  you  should  chance  to  fall 
away,  as  some  other  of  Paul's  converts  do,  how  much 
would  it  be  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  cause  which  you 
wish  to  serve  !  " 

Now  this  is   not  a  fancy  picture.     We  had  a  friend 
whose    conversion    was  well-nigh    as    sudden    as    the 
jailer's.     And  there  were    two    ministers  whose  abili- 
ty to  settle    theological    difficulties    might  have  placed 
them  beyond  Peter   or  John,   if  time  spent  in  theolog- 
ical studies  were  the  criterion.     Our  unconverted  friend 
had  accompanied  us  to  a  place,  where  it  was  not  unu- 
sual to  witness  sudden  and  remarkable  displays  of  the 
awakening,  justifying  and  sanctifying    power    of   God. 
He  was  awakened,  and  suddenly  converted  perhaps  in 
about  as  short  a  time  as  was  the  jailer.     Yielding  to  the 
same  sort  of  inspiration  which  David  felt,  when  he  said 
"Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  fear  the  Lord,  and  I  will 
tell  you  what  he  hath  done  for  my  soul,"  he    went   to 
tell  his  pastor,  who  belonged  to  a  different  theological 
.school  from  that  of  the  minister  under  whose  labors  he 
had  been  so  suddenly  converted.     He  was  met  in  just 
about  the  way  above    supposed.     It  was  distressing  to 
see  the  perplexity  of  his  mind  on  his    return.     But  we 
assured  him  that   the   Lord  could   convert   a  soul  just 
as   thoroughly  in  half  an  hour,   as  in  half  a  century. 
He  had  felt  it  his    duty  openly  to    profess   Christ  that 
evening.     But,  yielding  to  these  dissuasions,  he  became 
disheartened,  and  resolved   not  to  come   out  in  an  open 
profession.     This  resistance  to  duty  brought  great  dark- 
ness upon  his  mind.     After  laboring  with  him  prayer- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  165 


A  caution  reiterated,  and  consequent  failure.  The  sportsman. 


fully  for  some  time,  his  confidence  was  again  restored, 
and  he  resolved  to  confess  Christ.  Again  he  left  us, 
rejoicing  in  faith,  and  strong  in  resolution,  when 
the  tempter  again,  through  a  minister,  attacked  him  on 
the  same  grounds  ;  the  suddenness  of  his  conversion,  and 
the  danger  of  profession ;  and  again  he  returned  per- 
plexed and  discouraged  as  before.  Could  such  an  one 
be  expected  to  hold  fast  his  faith,  and  in  the  end  make  a 
good  confession  before  many  witnesses  ?  Surely,  it  would 
have  been  well-nigh  miraculous  if  he  had.  He  was  not 
taken  away  from  under  such  influences,  and  he  did  not  en- 
dure better  than  the  jailer  might  have  endured,  if  placed 
under  circumstances  such  as  we  have  described.  His 
conversion  was  doubtless  pronounced  an  ephemeral  con- 
version. And  those  sage  theological  friends  perhaps 
thought  the  wisdom  of  their  counsels  vindicated  by  the 
result  to  a  demonstration. 

A  SUDDEN  AND  UNQUESTIONABLE   CONVERSION. 

But  I  had  another  friend  who,  though  even  more 
suddenly  converted,  did  not  fall  in  with  the  same  sort 
of    doctors   of    divinity,   and  endured  manfully.      My 

friend,   Mr.  ,  was   a  man   of  fine   natural  address, 

and  a  lover  of  pleasure.  He  often  attended  divine  wor- 
ship, and  often,  on  the  Sabbath,  made  resolves  to  devote 
himself  to  the  service  of  Christ.  But  he  had  thoughtless 
companions,  and  he  was  fond  of  the  race,  and  his  social 
and  sportive  qualities  were  ever  bringing  him  into  the 
snare  of  Satan.  Each  week  witnessed  him  under  yet 
greater  condemnation   from  broken  resolves.     One  Sat- 


166  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


A  midnight  vow  on  the  two  Testaments.  Help  and  salvation. 


urday  night,  returning  late  from  his  business,  he  reflect- 
ed on  his  many  broken  vows.  His  conscience  told  him 
he  ought  to  do  better  ;  but  his  heart  was  so  sadly  re- 
minded of  his  many  failures,  that  he  scarcely  dared  to 
vow  again.  But  a  new  thought  struck  him.  He  had 
reached  his  home.  It  was  now  about  the  solemn  mid- 
night hour.  The  lights  in  his  dwelling  were  all  ex- 
tinguished. But  he  knew  where  the  good  old  family 
Bible  was.  He  remembered  that  the  God  of  the  Bible 
was  a  covenant-keeping  God,  and  opening  it  between  the 
Old  and  New  Covenant,  he,  as  in  the  solemn  presence 
of  God,  with  one  hand  placed  on  the  Old  Testament, 
and  the  other  on  the  New,  renewed  his  resolves,  and 
said, 

"  O  Lord,  if  thou  wilt  help  me,  I  will  serve  thee  forever." 
Strength  from  heaven  was  immediately  let  down  into 
his  soul.  He  felt  that  God,  as  his  Almighty  Helper, 
began  to  w  work  in  him  mightily  to  will  and  to  do  of 
his  good  pleasure."  He  laid  his  head  on  his  pillow 
that  night,  conscious  of  the  inworkings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  He  greeted  the  light  of  the  blessed  Sabbath,  a 
new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  To  his  own  perceptions, 
and  to  the  observation  of  his  friends,  "  Old  things  had 
passed  away."  By  his  beaming  countenance,  and  with 
his  lips,  he  testified  that  the  joy  of  the  Lord  was  his 
strength.  Though  his  sudden  change  was  singularly 
unlooked  for,  yet  we  never  heard  the  genuineness  of  his 
conversion  questioned.  His  consistent,  happy,  useful 
life  bore  ample  testimony  that  he  had  passed  from  death 
unto  life  — 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  167 

Breakfast  on  board  a  steamer.  The  inquiry.  "  0,  I  am  happy." 

"  Will  he  not  his  help  afford  ? 
Help  while  yet  I  ask  is  given ; 
God  comes  down,  the  God  and  Lord, 
Who  made  both  earth  and  heaven." 


*m»m  t 


$fa  GJ-ajjiain  m&  bis  <Smi 

"  Captain,  did  you  ever  turn  your  attention  seriously 
to  the  subject  of  religion  ?  " 

So  said  we  to  the  captain  of  a  steamer,  with  whom  we 
had  been  chatting  over  a  good  breakfast  on  board  of  his 
vessel. 

Our  captain  was  evidently  more  pleasantly  at  home 
on  almost  any  other  subject,  than  the  subject  of  religion. 
But  we  dared  not  let  the  opportunity  pass  without  say- 
ing a  few  words  to  him  about  his  eternal  interests. 

The  captain,  in  answer  to  our  inquiry,  assured  us  that 
he  thought  exceedingly  well  of  religion,  but  had  never 
given  much  of  his  attention  to  the  subject.  And,  as  we 
still  persisted  in  urging  its  importance,  he  exclaimed, 

"  O,  I  am  happy." 

"  We  would  be  far  from  disputing  that  point  with  you, 
captain.  There  is  a  sort  of  hilarity  which  the  man  of 
the  world  may  enjoy  when  he  does  not  think.  But  only 
let  him  once  begin  to  consider,  and  his  happiness  is  all 
spoiled." 

"  I  would  not  wish  you  to  think  me  wholly  inattentive 
to  the  subject  of  religion.  But  there  are  so  many  things 
to  claim   one's  attention,  I  do  not,  I  suppose,  get  as 


168  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

A  proposition.  "  Y-e-s."  The  difference  stated. 

much  time  to  think  as  I  ought.     But  I  am  not  without 
my  enjoyments. 

u  Do  not  misunderstand  me,  captain  ;  of  course,  1 
would  not  differ  with  you  in  opinion  on  that  subject. 
But  let  me  tell  you,  where  I  think  there  is  a  differ- 
ence. Now,  let  us  be  very  honest  with  each  other. 
Candidly,  my  friend,  will  you  be  really  honest  with  me, 
if  I  will  be  purely  so  with  you  ?  " 

The  captain  looked  a  little  demurrish,  probably  fearing 
that  he  would  come  out  on  the  wrong  side,  but,  as  gentle- 
men will  sometimes  rather  even  give  up  their  own 
strong  will,  than  to  disoblige  the  ladies,  he  hesitatingly 
said, 

"  Y-e-s." 

"  Well,  then,  here  is  where  I  think  you  will  find 
the  difference  between  the  happiness  of  the  worldling 
and  that  of  the  Christian.  You  enjoy  the  world  and  the 
various  socialities  of  life.  In  festive,  mirthful  scenes,  your 
hilarity  abounds,  but  in  the  midst  of  the  most  mirthful, 
only  begin  to  think.  My  soul  is  immortal !  This  night, 
my  soul  may  be  required  of  me.  In  such  an  hour  as  I 
think  not,  the  Son  of  man  cometh.  You  know  that 
these  things  are  not  idle  fantasies.  Your  judgment  tells 
you  that  they  are  solemn  realities :  the  more  you  think 
and  let  your  better  judgment  predominate,  the  more  un 
happy  you  are." 

"  True  !  true  !  " 

"  Now,  captain,  here  is  the  difference ;  the  more  we 
think,  the  more  happy  we  are.  The  religion  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  furnishes,  in  itself,  an  inexhaustible 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  169 

Piety  and  happiness.  Two  witnesses.  A  happy  soul  in  a  suffering  hody. 

fund  of  happiness.  While  it  does  not  forbid  any  thing 
of  a  worldly  nature  that  is  really  needful  for  our  enjoy- 
ment, it  furnishes  other  enjoyments,  rich  and  varied 
beyond  expression.  That  it  has  the  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is,  you  admit ;  for  you  believe  the  Bible.  And 
we  are  witnesses  of  this  truth.  (Husband  was  standing 
beside  me.)  We  have  been  testing  the  truth  of  these 
principles  ever  since  we  were  little  children,  and,  surely, 
we  may  be  permitted  to  judge.  What  we  say  between 
each  other,  when  no  mortal  ear  is  within  hearing,  must 
be  honest,  you  will  allow  ;  and,  husband,  do  we  not 
often  say,  between  each  other,  that  the  worldling  does 
not  even  begin  to  know  what  happiness  means  ?  " 

Here  husband  added  his  testimony,  and  observed, 
"  Religion  has  been  every  thing  to  me.  I  have  been 
trying  it  ever  since  I  was  a  little  boy.  I  don't  know 
what  I  should  have  been  without  it.  I  have  tried  it  in 
childhood,  in  youth,  and  in  middle  age,  and  now,  as  I 
begin  to  contemplate  going  down  the  declivity  of  life, 
the  happiness  it  imparts  only  increases." 

M  Now  you  see,  captain,  you  have  our  united  testimony. 
We  do  not  wish  you  to  infer  that  Christians  have  no  trials. 
Christians,  in  common  with  worldlings,  are  called  to 
endure  various  earthly  vicissitudes,  and  trials  painful  to 
the  flesh  ;  but,  while  the  worldling  has  nothing  to  cheer 
him  under  these  circumstances,  the  Christian  has  only  to 
think,  and  be  happy  in  his  soul,  however  much  his 
body  may  suffer.  His  heavenly  Father  is  ever  saying  to 
him,  "All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God,"  and  he  has  only  to  keep  thinking  of  this, 

15 


170  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Death  and  home.  The  question.  The  response.  The  parting. 

and  the  more  he  thinks,  the  more  happy  he  becomes. 
Of  course,  we  know  that  the  hour  of  death  and  earthly 
separation  must  come.  But  this,  instead  of  destroying 
our  happiness,  only  makes  us  think  with  yet  greater  joy 
of  our  inheritance — our  home  beyond  the  grave,  where 
we  shall  spend  an  eternity  of  happiness  in  yet  more 
blissful  union,  in  the  presence  of  him,  ( whom,  having 
not  seen,  we  love.'  Now,  captain,  you  see  here  are  two 
agreed,  and  '  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses 
every  word  shall  be  established.'  Tell  me,  then, 
what  do  you  think  of  the  difference  between  the  happi- 
ness of  the  worldling  and  of  the  Christian  ?  You  see  I 
have  been  candid ;  will  you  be  candid  ?  " 

The  captain  frankly  acknowledged  that  we  had  the 
right  of  the  matter,  and  conceded  that  our  case  was 
fairly  won.  He  confessed  that  it  was  only  when  he 
could  manage  to  keep  out  of  his  thoughts  death  and 
eternity,  that  he  could  be  happy.  He  seemed  deeply 
serious,  and  we  were  encouraged  to  believe  that  he 
would  give  his  more  earnest  attentions  to  the  subject  of 
religion.     We  repeated  the  words, 

"  'T  is  religion,  that  must  give 

Solid  comfort  while  we  live  , 
'Tis  religion  must  supply 

Solid  comfort  when  we  die. 
After  death,  its  joys  will  be 

Lasting  as  eternity ; 
Let  me,  then,  make  God  my  friend, 

Then  my  joys  sha  1  never  end." 

We  separated  affectionately.  Sinners  do  not  love  us 
less  for  being  faithful  to  their  souls.  They  know,  if  we 
heartily   believe    what   we    profess  to  believe,  that  we 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  171 

Men  of  the  world.  A  question — asked — interpreted — answered. 

ought  to  be  instant  in  season,  and  out  of  season,  in  our 
efforts  to  save  them.  Many  men  of  the  world  seldom 
hear  a  gospel  sermon ;  and  even  those  who  do  hear  fre- 
quently need  the  affectionate  and  practical  demonstra- 
tions of  an  earnest  Christianity  to  arrest  their  attentions, 
and  win  them  to  Christ. 


^i» » 


tfHERE  DOES  THE  ONE  END,  AND  THE  OTHER  BEGIN? 
**  I  cannot,  for  the  life  of  me,  see  where  justification 
ends  and  sanctification  begins."  So  said  my  friend,  in 
rather  an  earnest,  though  not  very  devotional,  mood. 
He  might  with  as  much  propriety  have  said,  "  I  cannot, 
for  the  life  of  me,  see  where  a  person  leaves  off  the 
use  of  letters  and  reads  well."  A  state  of  sanctification 
cannot  be  obtained  or  retained,  but  in  connexion  with  a 
state  of  justification  ;  as  necessarily  so  as  the  letters  of 
the  alphabet  stand  in  connexion  with  reading.  The 
way  to  leave  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  is, 
not  to  forget  them,  just  as  we  do  not  forget  the  ele- 
mentary branches  in  literature  for  the  pursuit  of 
higher  studies.  We  could  no  more  go  on  in  sanctifi- 
cation without  justification,  than  we  could  go  on  per- 
fecting ourselves  in  reading,  after  we  had  forgotten  our 
letters.  But  shall  I  tell  you  just  how  and  where  I 
apprehended  this  point  in  my  own  experience  ?  I  had 
been  going   on,  sweetly  conscious  of  the  smiles  of  my 


172  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

An  item  of  personal  experience.  Increasing  light.  '•  Be  ye  holy." 

heavenlv  Father.  For  some  time,  I  had  been  in  such  a 
state  of  conscious,  loving  obedience,  that  I  think  I 
would  rather  have  died  than  knowingly  have  offended 
my  heavenly  Father.  My  course  had  been  onward  and 
upward.  As  I  ascended  the  heavenly  way,  clearer 
light  shone  upon  my  mind,  revealing  higher  duties, 
requiring  more  of  the  spirit  of  sacrifice,  and  furnishing 
yet  stronger  tests  of  obedience.  But,  with  increasing 
light,  increasing  strength  was  given,  enabling  me  to  be 
answerable  to  these  higher  duties  :  for  I  had  not  learned 
how  to  retain  a  state  of  justification  while  under  con- 
demnation at  the  same  time  for  neglecting  known 
duties. 

THE  CRISIS- 

But  the  memorable  crisis  came  when  I  could  not  have 
retained  a  state  of  justification  one  hour  longer  without 
passing  over  into  that  state  where  entire  sanctification 
begins.  Others  may  act  upon  the  principle  that  it  is 
optional  with  themselves  whether  they  will  remain  in  a 
state  of  justification,  or  go  on  to  a  state  of  entire  sancti- 
fication, but,  with  me,  the  command  was  absolute,  "  Go  on 
to  perfection  " — "  be  ye  holy  ;  "  and,  if  I  had  not  obeyed, 
I  should  have  been  condemned  for  my  disobedience  ;  and 
how  could  I  have  been  in  a  state  of  condemnation  and 
in  a  state  of  justification  at  the  same  time  ?  But  I  will 
show  you  the  crisis,  the  precise  point  where  justification 
would  have  ended,  and  condemnation  would  have  begun, 
if  I  had  not  taken  the  further  step,  and  entered 

"  The  land  of  rest  from  imhred  sin, 
The  land  of  perfect  holiness." 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  173 

The  decision.  Of  willing  and  doing.  An  eternal  surrender. 

I  had,  that  evening,  been  enabled  to  come  to  the  decis- 
ion that  I  would,  not  only  in  word,  but  in  spirit,  recog- 
nize my  covenant  engagements,  and  yield  myself,  with 
alJ  the  ties  that  had  bound  me  to  earth,  wholly  and  for- 
ever to  God.  I  had  often  endeavored  to  enter  into 
covenant  engagements  before  ;  but  I  now  saw  there  was 
a  marked  difference  between  being  willing  to  give  up  all, 
and  the  act  of  really  giving  up  all ; — as  marked  a  dif- 
ference as  may  be  inferred  to  exist  between  an  offerer 
under  the  Jewish  dispensation  who  is  willing  to  lay  his 
sacrifice  on  the  altar,  and  another  offerer  who  really  per- 
forms the  act  of  placing  his  gift  there. 

The  sacrifice  of  the  offerer  could  not  be  sanctified  un- 
til it  was  laid  on  the  altar,  for  it  was  by  virtue  of  the 
altar  that  it  was  sanctified.  When  I  clearly  perceived 
this,  O  what  a  struggling  of  nature  ensued  !  I  had  lift- 
ed my  hand  to  God — had  often  said,  "  I  will  give  up 
all;  "  but  now,  when  I  saw  that  there  was  to  be  an 
eternal  surrender  of  life,  reputation,  and  friends  dearer 
than  life — all — all !  O,  it  was  a  point  quite  beyond 
what  I  had  reached  before.  But  what  could  I  do? 
Could  I  stand  still  at  this  point,  and  remain  in  a  ?tate  of 
justification  while  refusing  to  comply  with  what  I  knew 
to  be  the  demand  of  God,  and  in  fulfilment  of  covenant 
engagements  long  since  made  ?  I  saw  I  could  not ;  I 
must  either  make  the  necessary  sacrifices,  or  I  must 
sin,  and,  by  my  disobedience,  forfeit  a  state  of  justifica- 
tion. And  it  is  here  justification  would  have  ended  with 
me  had  I  refused  to  be  holy.  Do  you  ask,  How  did  you 
retain  a  state  of  justification  before,  when  all  was  not 

15* 


174  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Increasing  light  obeyed.        A  point  reached.        How  can  one  be  more  than  perfect? 

given  up  ?  Perhaps  I  cannot  answer  your  question  bet- 
ter than  by  referring  you  to  what  the  Savior  said  to  his 
disciples,  "  I  have  many  things  to  say  unto  you,  but  ye 
cannot  bear  them  now."  I  had,  for  some  time  previous 
to  this,  been  answerable  to  the  light  as  I  had  received  it. 
The  Holy  Spirit  had  led  me  onward,  revealing  higher 
and  yet  higher  duties,  as  I  was  able  to  bear  them,  till  I 
was  brought  up  to  the  point  described,  and  was  enabled 
to  be  answerable  to  my  covenant  engagements,  and  yield 
myself  up  entirely  and  irrevocably  to  God  ;  and,  in  do- 
ing this,  I  felt  that  I  did  no  more  than  I  ought  to  do, 
and  was  but  an  unprofitable  servant. 

CAfl  WE  BE  MORE  THAN  PERFECT? 

Do  not  those  who  go  on  to  perfection  arrive  at  a  point 
where  they  stop  ?  for  how  can  one  be  more  than  per- 
fect ?  No !  Do  you  remember  that  Paul  speaks  of 
perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  ?  Or,  I  do 
not  know  why  we  may  not  take  a  simile  we  have  be- 
fore used,  and  ask,  Must  not  a  child  stop  reading,  be- 
cause he  has  learned  to  read  perfectly?  whereas  his 
having  learned  to  read  perfectly  only  introduces  him  to 
yet  higher  and  higher  branches  of  study,  till  his  mighty 
soul  goes  on  grasping  in  knowledge  while  life  endures. 
Or,  to  use  another  figure  :  Holiness  is  a  way  cast  up  for 
the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  to  walk  in.  If  you  were  in 
the  way  to  a  given  place,  would  it  be  necessary  for  you 
to  stop  because  you  were  in  the  way  ?  The  fact  is,  your 
only  aim  in  getting  into  the  way  was  that  you  might 
progress   in   the   way  until    you   reached   the   destined 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  175 


The  way  to  our  home.         God  has  given  it  a  name.         Caught  under  a  harrow. 

point.  Well,  heaven  is  our  home.  It  is  our  home,  for 
Christ  has  purchased  heaven  for  us.  There  is  a  way  by 
which  we  must  go,  if  we  would  reach  this  home.  God 
lias  given  this  way  a  name.  It  shall  be  called  The 
Way  of  Holiness.  In  this  way  our  goings  must  be 
established  if  we  would  ever  reach  our  heavenly  desti- 
nation. The  redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  walk  there. 
But  remember  you  cannot  walk  in  this  way  of  holiness 
until  you  have  entered  upon  it.  O,  may  you  enter 
speedily ! 


*mt^ 


ttefomalimn  larnwd  ©ut 


Father  R was  educated  in  the  belief  of  Uni- 
versal Salvation,  and,  until  he  was  about  twenty-four 
years  old,  he  thought  himself  a  firm  believer,  and  would 
probably  have  been  seriously  incensed  had  his  best  friend 
hinted  that  he  was  not  sound  in  the  faith  of  Universal- 
ism.  And  with  this  delusion  conscience  was  well-nigh 
quieted,  when  the  following  significant  incident  occur- 
red: 

He  was  harrowing  a  field  with  a  pair  of  young  wild 
steers.  The  harrow  caught  in  a  stump.  In  the  effort 
to  release  it,  the  cattle  started,  and  he  was  thrown  under 
the  harrow.  The  steers  now  ran  in  wildest  speed.  The 
teeth  of  the  harrow  in  the  mean  time  had  fastened  to  his 
clothing,  and  an  awful  and  immediate  death  seemed  inev- 
itable.    And  who  can  depict  or  conceive  the  horror  of 


176  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  Universalist  in  trouble.  His  prayer,  conversion  and  subsequent  labors. 


the  scene,  as,  with  furious  speed,  he  was  dragged  under 
this  "instrument  with  teeth  "  the  space  of  thiity  or  forty 
rods  !  But  this  harrowing  of  his  body  was  only  made 
the  occasion  of  a  harrowing  of  conscience,  which  wholly 
exceeded  his  care  for  his  body,  and  he  began  to  call 
mightily  on  God,  and  promised  the  Lord,  if  he  would 
but  spare  his  life,  he  would  serve  him  all  his  days. 
"  Lord,  have  mercy  —  Lord,  have  mercy  on  my  soul ! ' 
was  his  cry.  Nor  did  he  cease  to  cry  until  God  indeed 
manifested  his  saving  mercy,  and  he  was  filled  with 
praise  for  delivering  and  saving  grace.  After  his  re 
lease,  one  suggested,  "  I  thought  you  were  a  Universal- 
ist,  and,  if  so,  why  afraid  to  die  ?  "  He  answered,  u  I 
thought  so  too ;  but,  when  death  stared  me  in  the  face, 
I  found  the  doctrine  of  Universalism  would  not  stand 
the  test."     And  it  was  thus,  about  forty  years  since,  that 

Father   R was  brought  to  know  the  pardoning 

mercy  of  God  through  Christ.  Ever  since,  he  has  been 
a  steady  traveller  in  the  way  to  heaven.  And  earnest 
have  been  his  manifestations  of  solicitude  that  all  who 
are  endeavoring  to  make  themselves  think  they  believe 
in  Universal  Salvation,  may  know  that  the  doctrine  will 
not  stand  the  harrow  of  conscience  in  view  of  sudden 
and  awful  death. 

LOVE-FEAST  TESTIMONY. 

Father  R did  as  every  one  who  resolves  to 

serve  the  Lord  ought  to  do  ;  that  is,  immediately  after 
his  conversion,  he  united  with  an  evangelical  church. 
But  the  people  with  whom  he  united  in  church  fellow 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  177 

A  prayer  circle.  The  short  way  of  faith  and  the  long  way  of  living. 

ship  did  not  believe  that  Christ  stood  ever  ready  to  save 
his  people  from  all  their  sins  in  the  present  life.  Some 
months  after,  he  was  thrown  in  contact  with  a  people 
who  believed  that  the  prayer  of  the  apostle,  "  The  very 
God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly,"  &c,  ought  to  be 
fulfilled  in  the  experience  of  every  believer.  This  was 
at  a  camp-meeting.  A  prayer  circle  had  been  formed 
for  specific  labor   on   this  theme.      It  was  the  first  that 

Father  R had  heard  of  the  subject  of  entire  sanc- 

tification.  His  immediate  resolve  was,  that,  if  there  was 
a  state  of  religious  experience  beyond  what  he  enjoyed, 
it  should,  through  grace,  be  his.  He  told  his  brethren 
his  want  of  knowledge  on  the  subject,  and  solicited  their 
advice  and  prayers.  The  brethren  instructed  him,  and 
prayed  for  him,  and,  before  he  left  that  circle,  he  was  a 
happy  partaker  of  the  grace  of  entire  sanctification.  A 
minister  present,  after  hearing  this  interesting  love-feast 

testimony   from    the  lips  of  Father   R ,  exclaimed, 

"  Father  R ,  you  were  not  then  told  it  might  take 

a  long  time  to  grow  up  into  a  readiness  to  obtain  the 
blessing  before  it  could  be  received  ?  "  "  No  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed, "  we  believed  in  having  it  done  and  done  with." 

Father  B ,  another  father  in  Israel,  then  arose,  and, 

after  stating  specifically  when  and  where  he  received 
the  blessing  of  holiness,  said,  "  Brethren  and  sisters,  I 
go  for  the  short  way  of  faith,  and  the  long  way  of  living." 
An  earnest  response  resounded  through  the  air,  and  the 
congregated  hundreds  joined  in  the  hearty  "  Amen  !  M 


178  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Thing  of  life.  Idle  hands.  Consternation  and  delay. 


®to  Iftartoiwrg  and  i\u  Jfltotfoi  §ottm\ 


Let  us  enter  into  this  famous,  well-arranged  manu- 
facturing establishment.  Here  are  the  most  magnificent, 
various,  and  finely-wrought  specimens  of  art  turned  off 
at  shortest  notice,  and  apparently  with  the  ease  of 
thought.  Let  us  look  closely  into  this  stupendous 
machinery.  Here  are  "  wheels  within  wheels,"  and 
what  not.  What  a  complication! — little,  tiny  wheels 
and  large  wheels,  shafts,  bands,  lathes,  saws,  drills, — 
every  thing  with  the  ease  of  naturalness,  yet  with  the 
most  exact  precision,  performing  its  office.  As  though 
it  were  a  thing  of  life,  endued  with  inherent  power, 
and  voluntary  in  its  own  acts,  it  is  ever  turning  out  to 
the  gaze  of  the  curious  observer  these  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  workmanship  *  *  *  *.  But,  ah,  suddenly,  an 
utter  cessation !  This  thing  of  life  has  ceased  its  work- 
ings. Every  part  of  this  complicated  and  stupendous 
machinery  is  motionless  as  death.  What  has  befallen 
it? 

Ah,  there  was  a  secret  power,  hidden  away — out  of 
sight,  propelling  it  to  action.  That  power  ceases  to 
act ;  for  some  ill-intentioned  individual  has  stealthily 
detached  the  motive  force  from  the  machinery.  What 
shall  be  done  ?  What  loss  must  accrue  to  the  owner  by 
these  passing  minutes  !  Scores  of  hands  are  idle,  and 
the  minutes  of  many  make  hours.  But  why  all  this 
delay  and  consternation  ?  How  simple  the  act  by  which 
all  this  wrong  may   be  adjusted,  and  this  thing  of  life 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  179 


"  Put  ou  tht-  steam."  Intelligent  and  influential  lady.  Hard  master. 

put  in  motion  again  !  Tut  on  the  steam !  There,  now 
all  is  right  again.  Every  thing  is  in  action.  How 
simple  the  expedient,  yet  how  effectual ! 

"  Mrs. ,  how  are  you  getting  along  in  religion  ?  " 

"  0>  do  not  begin  to  ask  me  ;  for  I  cannot  begin  to 
tell  what  a  distressed,  perplexed  state  of  mind  I  am  in. 
Why,  I  am  not  even  willing  to  be  holy,  and,  of  course, 
I  cannot  ask  the  Lord  to  make  me  holy." 

Mrs.  was  an  intelligent  and  influential  lady,  and 

the  wife  of  a  minister.  She  was  the  daughter  of  the 
late  Judge ,  in  that  region  favorably  and  exten- 
sively known.  The  enemy  of  all  righteousness  knew 
that  she  was  placed  in  a  position  to  exert  a  far-reaching 
influence  for  good  ;  and  so  he  took  proportionate  pains 
to  tempt  her  with  many,  and  varied  perplexities.  We 
were  now  on  a  camp  ground,  and,  on  first  reaching  the 

encampment,  we   had  heard   of  Mrs. 's   distressed 

state  of  mind.  And,  in  the  midst  of  the  encampment, 
we  had,  for  the  first  time,  met.  Wishing  not  to  refer 
to  what  we  had  heard  of  her  strange  perplexities, — for  the 
tempter  loves  to  have  us  consume  the  precious  time 
given  us  for  noble  purposes,  in  detailing  his  tempta- 
tions,— to  avoid  a  recital  of  this  sort,  I  simply  asked  the 
preceding  question,  and  was  answered  as  stated. 

She  then  went  on  to  specify  many  things  that  she  was 
not  willing  to  do,  some  things  which  I  thought  it  prob- 
able she  might  be  required  to  do,  and  other  things  I 
thought  she  might  not  be  required  to  do.  Satan  is  a  hard 
master,  and  he  often  presents  strange  inconsistencies  to 
the  mind,  in  the  form  of  duties.     And  then  because  he 


180  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  satanic  ruse.  Not  willing  to  be  holy.  God's  work  honorable. 

cannot  induce  us  to  consent  to  things  that  are  not  pure, 
and  lovely,  and  of  good  report,  then  he  accuses  us  that 
we  are  not  willing  to  do  our  duty.  And  thus  many  a 
sincere  person  gets  under  the  condemnation  of  Satan, 
whom  in  reality  God  does  not  condemn,  otherwise  than 
as  he  condemns  us  for  believing  Satan. 

M  I  am  not  willing  to  be  holy,"  she  exclaimed.  "  I  am 
not  willing  to  go  and  stand  there,  and  invite  sinners  to 
Christ,  and  tell  cold-hearted  professors  of  the  danger  of 
their  condition.  I  am  not  willing  to  be  of  no  reputa- 
tion for  Christ's  sake.  Before  the  world,  I  might  possi- 
bly be  willing  to  be  of  no  reputation ;  but,  before  my 
brethren  and  sisters,  and  especially  before  ministers,  I 
am  not." 

"  I  do  not  know  that  the  Lord  will  require  you  to  do 
all  these  things  you  have  spoken  of.  His  service  is 
honorable.  He  does  not  require  us  to  do  any  thing  that 
is  not  pure,  and  lovely,  and  of  good  report ;  nothing  that 
Gabriel,  or  the  highest  archangel  in  heaven,  might  not 
covet  to  do.  If  you  could  have  made  yourself  willing, 
you  would   have  done  it  long  ago — would   you    not  ? 

"Indeed  I  would." 

"  You  do  not  expect  to  make  yourself  willing,  do 
you  ?  " 

"No!" 

"  Do  you  think  Christ  could  make  you  willing  ?  " 
After  a  little  hesitation  she  replied,  "  Yes— if  it  were  not 
for  my  unbelief." 

"  Do  you  think  unbelief  a  sin  ?  " 

"I  do." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  181 

How  to  be  made  willing  to  work.  Very  sad.  Ability  equal  to  duty. 

u  How  can  he  save  you  from  your  unbelief  or  any  other 
sin,  unless  you  yield  yourself  wholly  up  to  him,  and  let 
him  do  it  ?  It  surely  is  a  sin  not  to  be  willing  to  be 
holy,  not  to  be  willing  to  be  of  no  reputation,  and  to 
perform  every  duty.  But  you  cannot  work  a  willingness 
in  yourself.  It  is  only  Christ  that  can  work  in  you  that 
which  is  well  pleasing  in  his  sight ;  but  how  can  he  do 
it,  until  you  yield  yourself  wholly  up  to  him  ?  If  he 
would  have  you  do  those  things  which  have  been  sug- 
gested to  your  mind  as  duty,  he  can  cause  you  to  be  more 
than  willing.  The  moment  you  yield  yourself  up  whol- 
ly to  him  he  will  put  his  Spirit  within  you,  and  the_ 
things  which  you  have  felt  you  could  not  do  will  be  the 
very  things  you  will  love  to  do ;  for  Christ  will  work 
in  you  mightily  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure.  ' 

But  still  she  was  sad,  very  sad ;  still  she  kept  looking 
at  herself,  and  her  many  varied  failures  in  duty,  instead 
of  looking  to  Jesus  ;  much  as  it  would  have  been  with 
those  Israelites,  after  they  had  been  bitten  by  the  fiery 
serpents,  had  they  looked  at  their  wounds  instead  of 
looking  up  to  the  brazen  serpent.  We  reminded  her 
of  this,  and  said, 

.     "  Mrs. ,  God  is  not  a  hard  master ;  his  ways  ara 

equal.  He  says,  "  Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved,"  not 
leaving  it  optional  with  yourself  whether  you  will  do 
this  or  not.  He  does  not  command  you  to  look  to  him, 
without  giving  you  the  ability.  You  dishonor  and  dis- 
obey your  Savior,  every  moment  you  linger  thus.  Your 
malady,  instead  of  growing  better,  is  growing  worse. 
Your  agony  and  tears,  though  you  might  weep  tears  of 


ko 


182  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  look  and  the  cure.  Unmindful  of  tears.       Belieying  with  a  reason. 

blood,  cannot  induce  the  Savior  to  save  you  in  youi 
unbelief.  You  are  disobeying  God,  every  moment 
while  you  are  looking  at  the  effects  of  sin  on  your  heart 
instead  or  looking  to  the  Savior.  And  just  as  surely 
will  you  perish,  as  those  Israelites  would  have  perished, 
however  sincere  or  earnest  they  might  have  been  in  their 
intention  to  look  up  to  the  brazen  serpent,  if  they  had 
not  actually  looked  up. 

It  was  then  proposed  that  we  should  retire  from  the 

gaze  of    the  multitude,   to    Mrs.  's    private   tent. 

Here,  as  in  the  solemn  presence  of  God,  she  resolved  on 
an  immediate,  unconditional,  irrevocable  surrender  of  hex 
entire  being  to  Christ. 

Her  heart  had  been  in  a  tumult  of  conflicting  sorrows, 
but  now  she  seemed  unmindful  even  of  her  tears,  as  she 
knelt  to  yield  herself  up  in  everlasting  covenant  to  God, 
resolved  from  that  moment  to  trust  in  Christ,  as  her 
present  and  complete  Savior,  believing  that  he  would 
empower  her  for  every  duty,  and  work  in  her  mightily, 
"  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." 

What  could  she  do  but  yield  herself  up  to  God, 
through  Christ,  just  as  she  was  ?  This  she  did.  And, 
without  requiring  signs  or  wonders,  she  calmly  took  God 
at  his  word,  believing,  as  she  gave  herself  up  wholly, 
he  received  her  wholly,  just  because  he  said  so,  and 
this,  surely,  was  not  believing  without  a  reason.  She 
took  the  word  of  God  as  the  foundation  of  her  faith,  and 
did  not  say  in  her  heart,  "  Who  shall  ascend  into  heaven 
to  bring  Christ  down,  or  who  shall  descend  into  the 
deep,  to  bring  Christ  up  ?  "     But,  simply,  because  Christ 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  183 


Trust  and  rest.  Mrs. goes  to  work . 

had  said  he  would  receive  her,  and  would  come  and 
dwell  in  her  heart,  and  work  in  her  that  which  was 
svell  pleasing  in  his  sight,  she  trusted  in  him  to  do  just 
what  he  had  said  he  would  do.  And  who  ever  trusted 
in  him,  and  was  confounded  ? 

Sweetly  did  she  enter  into  rest.  O !  what  a  heavenly 
calm  succeeded !  Christ  had  come  to  take  up  his  abode 
in  her.  And  she  quietly  and  believingly  rested  on  his 
word. 

I  felt  a  divine  conviction  on  my  own  heart  that  the 
work  was  done ;  and,  with  a  joyful  and  confident  heart, 
praised  the  Lord  for  what  he  had  done,  and  said, 

"  'Tis  done!  the  great  transaction  's  done!  " 

"  Lord,  she  is  forever  thine  !  Thou  dost  receive  her." 
And  together,  in  subdued  accents,  we  praised  and  mag- 
nified the  name  of  our  covenant-keeping  God. 

The  christian  brother,  who  had  first  mentioned,  in 
my  hearing,  the  spiritual  distress  of  this  now  happy 
friend,  came  in,  when  I  was  quickly  called  away  to  other 
duties.  This  brother  subsequently  informed  me  that, 
shortly  after   I  left  the  tent,  a  company  of  thoughtless 

worldlings  came  in  to  see  Mrs.  ,  when,  with  tears, 

and  in  the  most  urgent,  persuasive  manner,  she  cried  out, 
"  O !  what  will  become  of  these  sinners,  if  they  do  not  re- 
pent, and  turn  to  the  Lord  ? '  And  thus,  in  most  winning 
entreaty,  she  sought  to  gain  them  to  the  Savior.  How 
evidently  was  Christ  now  working  in  her  heart,  to  do 
the  very  things  which  she  had  said  she  could  not  do ! 

The  next  day,  I   incidentally  saw  her   standing  just 


184  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

, — _  j 

Scene  in  a  leafy  temple.  Thirty  ministers.  The  secret  of  power  found. 

about  where  she  had  pointed,  as  she  said  to  me,  "  I  am 
not  willing  to  go  and  stand  there,  and  tell  worldly  pro- 
fessors of  the  danger  of  their  condition,  and  urge  sinners 
to  Christ."  But  there  she  stood,  amid  worldly  profes- 
sors and  sinners,  tearful,  yet  in  dignified,  moving  pathos, 
pleading  that  they  would  comply  with  the  conditions  of 
salvation. 

The  last  day  of  the  meeting  came.  Hundreds  had 
assembled  to  witness  the  closing  exercises.  There,  be- 
fore the  rough-made  pulpit,  in  that  beautiful  leafy 
temple  '*  not  made  with  hands,"  sat  about  thirty  of 
Christ's    ambassadors,    with    their    venerated    presiding 

elder,  Dr. ,  at    their    head.      Many,  from  among 

both  the  ministry  and  laity,  had  been  testifying,  to  the 
praise   of  God,   of    the    excellency   of  grace.     Among 

others,  Mrs.  had    risen,  and    witnessed   a   good 

confession,  testifying  joyfully  of  the  blessedness  of 
having  yielded  up  all  believingly  to  Christ,  trusting  in 
him  to  work  in  her  mightily  that  which  was  well 
pleasing  in  his  sight.  Just  as  the  exercises  were  about 
closing,  she  rose  again,  and  for  a  few  moments  stood 
with  her  handkerchief  to  her  face,  so  much  affected  as 
to  be  unable  to  speak. 

"Can  I  ?  can  I  ?"  she  wept  out,  when,  as  if  sudden- 
ly reminded  of  the  secret  of  power  she  had  so  recently 
learned,  she  exclaimed,  "  Yes,  I  can  !  " 

And  then,  with  a  holy  composure  and  a  dignity  of 
bearing,  such  as  could  only  have  been  inspired  by  the 
Spirit,  through  whose  influences  she  spoke,  she  address- 
ed that  group  of  ministers,  in  words  which  may  never 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  185 

Tlie  ministers  addressed.  Presiding  elder's  reply.  Every  spring  in  motion 

be  forgotten.  With  due  deference  to  their  calling,  as 
legates  from  the  skies,  she  addressed  such  words  of 
burning  truth  and  entreaty,  in  such  faithfulness,  affec- 
tionateness  and  power,  as,  I  think,  I  never  heard  equal- 
ed. Who,  that  heard,  will  ever  forget  them  !  Ministers 
and  people  were  astonished,  and  wept.  After  she  had 
finished,  the  presiding  elder  arose,  much  affected,  and 
said, 

"  Thank   you !     Thank   you,  Sister ,  I   believe 

some  of  us  do  try  to  be  faithful  to  the  people  of  our 
various  charges,  but  O,  how  few  feel  the  importance  of 
being  faithful  to  us  !  " 

And  this  was  the  christian  sister  whose  spiritual  ener- 
gies were,  such  a  short  time  since,  paralyzed;  who 
said  she  was  not  even  willing  to  be  holy,  and  therefore 
could  not  ask  to  be  made  holy ;  who  was  not  willing 
to  be  of  no  reputation  before  her  Christian  friends,  and 
especially  before  ministers.  Here  she  was,  as  by  an  in- 
herent power,  and  by  her  own  election,  choosing  to  do 
those  very  things,  which  she  had  in  vain  sought  to  make 
herself  willing  to  do.  What  mysterious  change  has 
come  over  her  ?  Why,  she  has  learned  the  secret  of 
power.  By  a  simple  act  of  entire  reliance  on  Christ, 
she  became  so  fully  united  to  Christ,  that  every  secret 
spring  of  her  being  was  set  in  motion,  and  brought  into 
harmonious  action  with  the  divine  will.  And  who  can 
tell  what  may  be  accomplished,  by  the  mighty  inwork- 
ings  of  an  indwelling  Christ  in  this  soul,  now  that  all 
its  vast  machinery  is  in  full  and  harmonious  action? 
The  secret  of  power  is  union  with  Christ. 

16* 


186  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  remarkable  meeting.  The  promise.  A  blessing  for  the  most  un-w  orthy. 

There  was   a  company  of  humble  disciples  who,  in 
attending  a  meeting  on  one  occasion,  received  such  a 
blessing  that  the  influence  of  that  one  blessing  was  as 
far-reaching  as  their  lives.     They  had  come  together  by 
the   appointment   of  the    Savior,   but  not  more  by  his 
appointment  than  on  some  special  occasions  when  you 
assemble  with  your  brethren.     Christ  had  promised  to 
send   the  promise   of  his   Father   upon  them,  but  not 
more  explicitly  than  he  has  promised  to  send  the  prom- 
ise of  his  Father  upon  you.     I  do  not  doubt  but  there 
were  those  among  that  company  who  felt  themselves 
very  unworthy  of  the  grace.     But,  in  making  the  prom- 
ise, Christ  had  not  said,  "  If  you  will  assemble,  and  get 
yourselves  into  a  state  of  worthiness,  I  will  send  the 
promise  of  my  Father  upon  you."     We  know  of  one,  in 
fact,  who  seemed  to  be  specially  unworthy.      If  it  had 
been   asked,  Who  among  this  company  is  the  most  un- 
worthy ?  he  would  have  been  the  first  to  respond,  "  It 
is  I  "  !     And  such  were  the  well-known  facts  in  his  case, 
that  it  is  probable  none  could  have  successfully  disputed 
the  case  with  him.     For  lie  had,  with  oaths  and  curses, 
denied   his   Savior   not    long  previous  to  this  eventful 
meeting.     But  the  Savior  had  told  him  to  be  present  at 
•ihe  meeting,  and  that  was  enough  to  assure  him  that  the 
promise   of  the  Father  was  to  come  upon  him  with  as 
much  fulness  and  freeness  as  upon  the  others.      Christ 
had  not  said  that  the  most  worthy  should  receive  the 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  187 

Which  received  the  greatest  blessing  ?  It  is  for  you  Specific  assurance. 

greatest  blessing.  And,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  effect 
of  the  blessing,  we  may  infer  that,  of  all  the  great  bless- 
ings on  that  occasion  received,  Peter  received  the  great- 
est. So  penetrating,  all-pervading,  and  ever-enduring 
was  the  blessing  that  I  do  not  doubt  but  its  conse- 
quences, in  the  case  of  each  of  these  humble  disciples, 
were  not  only  as  far-reaching  as  life  with  them,  but  as 
enduring  as  eternity.  Would  you  like  to  receive  such 
a  blessing  ?  I  will  try  to  tell  you  how  you  may  get  it. 
If  you  would  get  as  great  a  blessing  as  the  early  dis- 
ciples received,  you  must  "forget  the  things  that  are 
behind,"  just  as  Peter  did.  It  was  the  full  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  which  Peter  received.  You  may  see 
the  promise  of  the  Father  recorded  in  Acts  ii.  17,  18. 
By  this  you  will  see  that  the  promise  is  just  as  specifi- 
cally for  you  now  as  it  was  for  those  early  disciples. 
"  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  and  your  sons 
and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,"  &c.  If  you  would 
get  this  great  blessing,  resolve  that  you  will  make  every- 
thing subservient  to  the  attainment  of  it  now.  Begin 
to  wait  for  it  with  a  definite  resolve  that  you  will  have 
it.  And  if  the  enemy  tells  you  that  you  are  wilful,  and 
asks  the  wherefore  of  such  a  resolve,  tell  him  that  your 
Lord  has  told  you  to  tarry  at  Jerusalem,  with  the  spe- 
cific assurance  that  he  will  send  the  promise  of  his  Father 
upon  you.  If  he  asks,  ".  How  do  you  know  that  this 
is  God's  time  "  ?  you  may  tell  him  that  God  has  specifi- 
cally set  the  time:  "Now  is  the  accepted  time."  If 
he  tells  you  about  your  present  and  former  unworthi- 
ness,  you  can  tell  him  that  you  have  resolved  to  obey 


188  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  privilege  to  forget.  Wesley  on  the  faith  which  sanctifies. 

God,  and  forget  the  things  that  are  behind — that  you 
never  received  one  blessing  because  you  were  worthy, 
but  many  and  continuous  blessings  because  of  the  infi- 
nite merits  of  your  Savior.  And  then  go,  claiming  the 
blessing  now.  If  God  has  promised  the  blessing  now, 
it  is  your  duty  to  have  it  now ;  for  there  can  be  no  fail- 
ure on  the  part  of  God  ;  his  word  is  eternal  truth.  His 
name  is  "The  Faithful  and  True  Witness."  The  bless- 
ing is  received  by  faith  ;  but  do  you  ask  to  know 

OF  THAT  FAITH  WHICH  SANCTIFIES  WHOLLY  NOW? 

Mr.  Wesley  says :  "  A  man  cannot  be  sanctified  with- 
out faith.  He  may  have  ever  so  much  repentance,  or 
ever  so  much  good  works,  yet  all  this  does  not  at  all 
avail.  He  is  not  sanctified  till  he  believes  ;  but  the  mo- 
ment he  believes,  with  or  without  these  fruits,  yea,  with 
more  or  less  of  this  repentance,  he  is  sanctified."  Mr. 
Wesley  goes  on  to  say  :  "  You  shall  not  be  disappointed 
of  your  hope :  it  will  come,  and  will  not  tarry.  Look 
for  it,  then,  every  day,  every  hour,  every  moment ! 
Why  not  this  moment  ?  Certainly,  you  may  look  for  it 
now,  if  you  believe  it  is  by  faith.  And  by  this  token 
you  may  surely  know  whether  you  seek  it  by  faith  or 
by  works.  If  by  works,  you  want  something  to  be  done 
first,  before  you  are  sanctified.  You  think,  I  must  first 
be,  or  do,  thus  or  thus.  Then  you  are  seeking  it  by 
works  unto  this  day.  If  you  seek  it  by  faith,  you  may 
expect  it  as  you  are  ;  and  if  as  you  are,  then  expect  it 
now.  It  is  of  importance  to  observe  that  there  is  an  in- 
separable connexion  between  these  three  points  :  expect 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  189 

The  three  points.  How  your  friend  apprehended  them. 

it  by  faith ;  expect  it  as  you  are  ;  and  expect  it  now ! 
To  deny  one  of  these  is  to  deny  them  all.  To  allow  one 
is  to  allow  them  all.  Do  you  believe  we  are  sanctified 
by  faith  ?  Be  true,  then,  to  your  principle,  and  look  for 
this  blessing  just  as  you  are,  neither  better  nor  worse ; 
as  a  poor  sinner  that  has  nothing  to  pay,  nothing  to 
plead,  but  Christ  died.  And  if  you  look  for  it  as  you 
are,  then  expect  it  now.  Stay  for  nothing  ;  why  should 
you  ?  Christ  is  ready,  and  he  is  all  you  want.  He  is 
waiting  for  you ;  he  is  at  the  door !  " 

THE  STEPS  IN  FAITH  TAKEN  BY  YOUR  FRIEND. 

Shall  I  tell  you  the  step  by  which  a  friend  of  yours 
was  brought  to  the  exercise  of  that  faith  by  which  the 
blessing  of  holiness  was  received  ?  After  having  made 
an  unconditional  and  absolute  surrender  of  herself  to 
Christ,  the  question  was  proposed,  u  How  do  you  know 
that  God  will  receive  you  ?  "  For  a  moment,  the  inquiry 
seemed  perplexing,  and  she  began  to  question,  "How 
shall  I  know  that  God  will  receive  me  ? "  She  could 
think  of  no  way  she  might  know,  and  was  pondering 
over  the  point  when  the  Spirit  inwardly  whispered,  "It 
is  written,  '  I  will  receive  vou.'  "  "  Must  I  believe  it 
because  it  stands  written — simply  recorded — in  the  word 
of  God,  without  any  other  evidence  ?  "  she  exclaimed, 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  reproved  her  unbelief  by  saying, 
"If  you  should  hear  God  audibly  speaking  to  you  from 
heaven,  in  tones  of  thunder,  just  as  he  spake  on  Mount 
Sinai,  and  he  should  say,  ( I  will  receive  you ; '  or,  if 
you  should  see  it  written  in  letters  of  fire,  as  a  sign, 


190  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Sign  arching  the  heavens.  The  foundation.  The  foe  vanquished. 

arching  the  heavens,  1 1  will  receive  you/  would  you 
believe  it  then  ?  "  "I  could  not  help  believing  it  then  ; 
I  should  have  the  evidence  of  my  senses,"  she  respond- 
ed. And  here  she  was  reproved  from  the  fact  that  she 
had  always  known  that  the  blessing  was  received  by 
faith,  and  she  now  saw  that  the  Bible  was  as  much  the 
Word  of  God  as  though  she  could  hear  him  speaking 
in  tones  of  loudest  thunder  every  moment,  or  as  though 
she  could  see  it  written  on  a  sign  arching  the  heavens  ; 
and  she  also  saw  that  faith  was  to  believe  it.  "  But,"  said 
the  enemy,  "  suppose,  after  you  have  believed,  you  do 
not  receive  any  special  manifestation,  or  do  not  feel  dif- 
ferent ?  "  "  It  is  written,  '  The  just  shall  live  by  faith,'  " 
was  the  response.  "  But  suppose  you  were  called  to 
live  a  long  life,  and  should  <.have  nothing  to  depend  on 
but  the  naked  word  of  God,  and  then  should  even  die, 
and  come  up  before  your  Judge  without  any  other  re- 
liance than  the  word  of  God,  what  would  you  do  then  ?  " 
"  I  would  come  up  before  my  Judge,  and,  if  questioned 
why  I  had  come  there  without  having  had  any  of  those 
extraordinary  manifestations  of  which  others  might  speak, 
I  would  say,  '  The  foundation  of  my  faith  was  thy  im 
mutable  word.'  "     And  here  Satan  was  vanquished  ! 

Yes,  vanquished  !  I  do  not  mean  that  the  tempter 
assaulted  her  no  more,  but  that  she  was  now  left  to  the 
confirmed  consciousness  of  her  own  spirit  that,  in  heart, 
she  believed.  But  there  was  yet  another  step  to  be 
taken  before  she  could  receive  that  divinely  inwrought 
consciousness  by  which  the  Holy  Spirit  was  to  testify 
with  her  spirit  that  the  work  was  wrought ;  for — 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  191 

The  two  witnesses.  Shrinkings.  The  unawakened  lady 

"  Both  the  witnesses  are  joined 
The  Spirit  of  God  with  ours." 

That  further  step  you  will  see  distinctly  recognized 
in  the  passage,  "  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made 
unto  salvation."  Just  so  soon  as  she  began  with  her 
mouth  to  confess  the  faith  of  her  heart  before  God,  just 
so  soon  the  Holy  Spirit  powerfully  testified  with  her 
spirit,  that  it  was  unto  salvation — -present — -full  salvation. 


Jiumlmtfll  Just  in  ®hw. 


"  Instant  in  season  out  of  season."  That  is,  where 
there  are  not  opportunities,  make  them.  Who  does 
not  feel  a  shrinking  of  the  flesh  in  relation  to  these  out- 
of-the-way  duties  ? 

"  The  flesh  dislikes  the  way, 
But  faith  approves  it  well." 

There  is  no  sin  in  feeling  a  shrinking  of  the  flesh  in 
view  of  crossing  duties.  Do  you  not  think  that  Abra- 
ham felt  a  shrinking  of  the  flesh  while  journeying  to 
Mount  Moriah  ?  But  there  is  no  sin  in  being  tempted 
to  shrink.     The  sin  lies  in  yielding. 

"  Will  you  go  to   see  a  lady  living  in street  ? 

She  seems  to  be  evidently  very  near  death,  and  I  can 
see  no  reason  to  think  that  she  is  prepared  for  her 
change.  She  seems  to  be  asleep  in  the  cradle  of  carnal 
security.     She  is  an  attendant  on  a  church  where,  with 


192  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

Ordinances  not  saving.  Dissuasive  influences.  Wicked  spirits. 

too  many,  the  ordinances  are  regarded  as  saving.,  and,  in 
her  estimation,  baptism  may  be  regeneration.  Neither 
herself*,  nor  friends,  may  wish  to  see  you ;  but  I  think 
her  soul  is  at  stake.     Do  go  ! 

About  thus  said  a  zealous  disciple,  who  even  prefer- 
red that  her  sick  friend  should  be  offended  rather  than 
that  she  should  lose  her  soul. 

But  do  you  wonder  that  I  should  feel  a  shrinking  of 
nature  in  view  of  the  anticipated  repulsion?  To  go  as 
an  intruder,  and  visit  a  sick  lady,  who  might  not  wish  to 
see  me,  and  be  the  revealer  of  unpleasant  truths  which 
it  might  vex  her  to  hear, — "  And  then  you  have  so  little 
confidence  in  death-bed  repentance,"  said  the  tempter. 
The  whole  matter  looked  discouraging,  and  my  nature 
recoiled.  Such  a  dissuasive  influence  did  I  feel  against 
going,  that  I  began  to  question  whether  it  might  not  be 
satanic  influences  operating  against  the  salvation  of  that 
soul.  Satan  is  the  Prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  and 
evil  intelligences  are  all  around  us. 

"  They  throng  the  air,  and  darken  heaven, 
And  rule  the  lower  world." 

"  For  we  wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but 
against  principalities,  against  powers,  against  the  rulers 
of  the  darkness  of  this  world,  against  spiritual  wicked- 
ness in  high  places"  or,  as  the  margin  of  my  Bible  says, 
"  against  wicked  spirits."  I  do  not  doubt  but  souls  have 
been  lost  that  might  have  been  saved,  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  enthusiastic  doctrine  "  that  we  are  not  to  do 
good  unless  our  hearts  are  free  to  it." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  193 

Capital  out  of  Satan's  doings.        A  cool  reception.        Death  of  a  neighbor. 

But  we  may  make  capital  even  out  of  Satan's  own 
doings,  on  the  same  principle  that  God  can  make  the 
wrath  of  his  enemies  to  praise  him.  Now,  thought  I,  if 
Satan  does  not  want  me  to  go  and  see  this  lady,  surely 
I  must  go  ;  for  Satan  is  always  wrong.  And  so  I  went, 
particularly  because  the  enemy  tempted  me  to  feel  such 
a  dissuasive  influence  against  going. 

I  found  access  to  the  lady  even  more  embarrassing 
than  I  had  anticipated.  Every  look  and  action  seemed 
to  say,  "  What  has  brought  you  here  ?  " — "  What 
have  you  come  for  ?  "  But  I  went  forward,  trusting  in 
him  who  has  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  men  in  his 
hands,  believing  that  he  would  give  me  all  the  influence, 
wisdom,  and  power  needful  for  the  emergency. 

Christians  do  not  go  a  warfare  at  their  own  charge, 
and  it  is  strange  we  do  not  learn  ever  to  confide  in  God, 
believing,  if  he  calls  us  to  a  duty,  that  he  will  sustain  us 
in  a  way  that  will  be  most  influential  for  good,  and  not 
really  unbecoming  the  dignity  of  our  high  calling.  His 
work  is  all  so  honorable  that  an  angel  might  covet  the 
privilege  of  doing  it.  I  had  scarcely  finished  making 
affectionate  inquiries  into  the  state  of  the  health  of  the 
lady,  when  she  mentioned  the  very  recent  and  unex- 
pected death  of  her  nearest  neighbor.  I  expressed 
deep  interest,  and  asked, 

"  Was  she  prepared  to  die  ?  " 

"  O,  her  friends  did  not  like  to  have  much  said  to  her  ! 
They  were  afraid  of  alarming  her,  and  hastening  her 
death." 

And  then,  as  if  the  fact  of  her  neighbor's  being  pre- 

17 


194  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

"  Said  the  Lord's  prayer."  Shortness  of  life.  Many  deceived. 

pared  for  a  joyful  appearing  in  the  presence  of  God  had 
been  placed  wholly  beyond  doubt,  she  added, 

u  She  prayed  just  before  she  died, — said  the  Lord's 
prayer,  I  believe." 

li  Ah  !  I  am  afraid,  if  that  is  all  the  evidence  she  left 
of  being  prepared  for  death,  she  may  have  died  unpre- 
pared to  meet  God.  O,  it  is,  indeed,  a  serious  thing  to 
be  prepared  to  spend  an  unending  eternity  in  the  pre- 
sence of  a  pure  and  holy  God !  What  a  moment  is  life  ! 
Even  the  longest  life  on  earth  is  as  "  a  vapor  that  ap- 
peareth  for  a  little  time  and  then  vanisheth  away." 
But  the  soul  is  immortal.  Millions  on  millions  of  ages 
are  before  us ;  and,  when  these  are  past,  the  soul  has  but 
begun  to  live — millions  on  millions  will  again  pass  away, 
and  yet  the  soul  has  but  commenced  the  eternity  of  its 
existence.  Surely,  the  whole  of  life,  even  though  our 
years  were  multiplied  to  threescore  and  ten,  seems  short 
indeed  in  view  of  preparing  the  soul  to  spend  an  eter- 
nity of  happiness  in  the  presence  of  a  righteous  and 
holy  God. 

"  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord !  Lord  ! 
shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father,  which  is  in  heaven."  It 
is  not  a  small  thing  to  be  saved.  It  will  require  some- 
thing more  than  attention  to  outward  observances  and  a 
profession  of  religion.  How  evident,  from  the  words 
of  the  Savior,  that  many  (not  a  few)  die  deceived,  and 
never  know  their  true  condition  till  they  are  ushered 
into  eternity  !  The  Savior  never  used  one  untruthful 
figure.     He  says  nothing  to  frighten  us  into  obedience, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  195 

Nothing  merely  to  frighten         The  lady's  astonishment.        Prayer  proposed. 

or  to  excite  needless  fears — he  never  uses  a  figure  which 
is  too  strong  in  its  ultimate  bearings  to  express  the  reality 
of  the  thing  intended.  Nothing  but  an  application  of 
the  blood  of  Christ  to  our  souls  and  a  life  of  devoted- 
ness  to  his  will,  will  meet  the  requirement  of  God. 
'  Many  shall  say  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord,  have  we  not  pro- 
phesied in  thy  name,  and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out 
devils,  and  in  thy  name,  have  done  many  wonderful 
works  ?  '  How  evidently  were  these  professors  of  reli- 
gion !  But  what  does  the  Savior  say  ?  "  Then  will  I 
profess  unto  them  I  never  knew  you."  The  lady  looked 
on  me  evidently  astounded.  A  bystander  might  have 
thought  me  cruel.  But  I  remembered  a  brother  who, 
when  near  death,  upbraidingly  said  to  his  sister,  one  of 
my  friends,  "  You  would  rather  I  would  lose  my  soul 
than  make  me  angry,"  and  I  determined  this  lady  should 
not  have  occasion  to  upbraid  me  thus  at  the  bar  of  God. 
The  remarks  seemed  to  have  fallen  upon  her  with  al- 
most a  bewildering  force. 

Silence,  solemn  as  eternity,  for  a  few  moments,  suc- 
ceeded.    I  broke  it  by  saying, 

"Shall  I  pray?" 

The  startling  things  I  had  said  seemed  so  confound- 
ing, that,  perhaps,  from  bewilderment  rather  than  from 
unwillingness,  there  was  no  reply,  when  I  oolemnly  said, 

"  Let  us  pray." 

I  knelt,  and  endeavored  to  pray  as  th^  Spirit  gave 
utterance.     During  prayer,  I  heard  stifled  sobs. 

On  rising  from  prayer,  I  saw  that  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
powerfully  at  work ;  but  I    resolved    not  to  linger  for 


196  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

■—■     -^    ■      ■■— ■■  -■  '  '  — —      « 

The  doctor  called.  The  patient  better.  Surprise  among  friends. 

farther  conversation,  fearful  of  interfering  with  the 
operations  of  the  Spirit,  by  the  introduction  of  a  word 
that  might  divert  her  mind. 

Near  midnight,  following  the  next  day,  my  husband 
was  sent  for  in  his  professional  capacity,  in  great  haste, 
to  see  a  lady,  who,  it  was  said,  was  dying.  What 
should  he  witness,  on  entering  the  sick  chamber,  but 
the  lady  I  had  visited  the  day  previous,  newly  raised 
from  the  death  of  sin  to  a  life  of  holiness !  She  had 
been  enabled  truly  and  heartily  to  repent  of  sin,  and  was 
now  believing  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Faith  in 
Christ  possesses  a  vital  power,  and  who  that  has  proved 
it,  does  not  know  it  ?  So  gloriously  did  this  lady  prove 
its  life-restoring  influences,  that  it  seemed  almost  like  a 
resurrection  of  the  body,  as  well  as  of  the  soul.  She 
had,  for  months,  been  pining  away  with  the  consumption ; 
but  now,  her  body  appeared  well-nigh  resurrected  with 
the  soul,  and  she,  with  a  remarkable  degree  of  physical, 
mental,  and  spiritual  power,  talked  of  the  glory  of  her 
inheritance,  and,  in  exalted  strains,  she  gave  God  the 
glory  of  her  salvation,  and  urged  her  friends  to  prepare 
to  meet  her  in  heaven.  Her  friends,  being  unaccustom- 
ed to  witness  such  manifestations  of  the  saving  power 
of  Christ,  thought  surely  she  must  be  dying,  and  had 
thus  opportunely  sent  for  a  pious  physician,  who  well 
knew  how  to  rejoice  with  a  soul  newly  raised  to  spirit- 
ual life. 

u  As  soon  as  in  him  we  believe, 
By  faith  of  his  Spirit  we  take ; 
And,  freely  forgiven,  receive 
The  mercy  for  Jesus's  sake. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  19T 


Orace  protracted  life.       Fitted  for  usefulness.       The  armor.       Napoleon's  reserves. 

We  gain  a  pure  drop  of  his  love, 

The  life  of  eternity  know, 
Angelical  happiness  prove, 

And  witness  a  heaven  below." 

The  state  of  this  lady's  health  continued  much  im- 
proved ;  so  that  we  almost  concluded  that  the  Lord 
intended  to  raise  her  up  :  and  it  was  not  until  about 
three  months  afterwards  that  the  Lord  took  her  to  him- 
self. 


im*mt 


®fe  Jmiittrilto. 


I  know  you  desire  to  be  fitted  for  the  highest  degree 
of  usefulness.  You  will  be  useful  in  about  the  same 
proportion  you  are  holy,  and  are  armed  with  the 
might  of  the  Spirit.  You  will,  doubtless,  find  oppos- 
ers,  perhaps  some  where  least  expected.  But  we  are 
armed  for  conflict.  And,  after  the  Captain  of  our  sal- 
vation has  put  upon  us  the  whole  armor,  it  ought  not  to 
surprise  us  greatly  that  he  should  place  us  where  we 
may  be  called  to  endure  the  fiercest  fire  of  our  opposers. 
With  the  shield  of  faith,  the  breastplate  of  righteous- 
ness, and  the  entire  preparation  of  the  gospel,  what 
may  we  not  endure  ?  Did  ever  the  hottest  fire  of  the 
enemy  penetrate  through  these  ?  Never  !  Those  who 
are  thus  equipped  are  not  only  conquerors,  but  more 
than  conquerors.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  Napoleon 
had  a  company  of  reserves,  which  he  called  iC  Invinci- 
bles."     This   company  was   made   up  of  those  who  had 

17* 


198  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Military  distinction.  Ever  victorious.  God  works  by  man. 


signalized  themselves  by  deeds  of  noble  daring,  and  the 
signal  honor  of  being  chosen  one  of  this  corps,  was 
regarded  as  an  equivalent  for  the  imminent  jeopardy  of 
life,  many  times  over.  This  company  of  honored  re- 
serves, we  are  told,  was  only  called  out  on  occasions 
when  more  than  ordinary  bravery  was  in  requisition. 
Do  you  not  covet  to  be  one  of  the  Lord's  Invinciblcs  ? 
I.  must  confess  I  do.  Then  let  us  not  shrink,  though 
we  may  be  placed  where  hard  fighting  may  be  demand- 
ed. Through  our  God  we  shall  do  valiantly.  The 
Captain  of  our  salvation  goes  out  before  us,  and  never 
did  he  lose  a  battle. 


mmmiig  in  *§tmm. 


Of  the  high  responsibilities  of  the  calling  of  the  Chris- 
tian, I  have  conceptions  wholly  beyond  my  power  to 
express.  God,  at  an  infinite  expenditure,  has  redeemed 
a  lost  world ;  and  now  it  is  his  will  that  it  should  speed- 
ily be  renovated,  and  brought  home  to  himself.  But 
he  intends  doing  this  through  human  agencies.  By  his 
Son,  who  was  the  "  express  image  of  his  person,"  and  in 
v  whom  dwelt  all  the  "  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily,"  the 
work  was  begun.  He  was  the  Son  of  man.  He  inhab- 
ited a  human  form,  and,  among  men,  appeared  as  man. 
Passing  from  childhood — through  youth  unto  mature 
manhood — subject  to  the  diversified  changes  incident  to 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  199 

The  God-Man — in  Jerusalem — on  the  cross — in  heaven — our  Representative. 

these  successive  stages  in  common  life,  teaching  us  how 
to  live,  u  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are,  yet  with- 
out sin,"  and,  by  his  vicarious  death,  purchasing  salva- 
»  tion  for  all  mankind,  and  then,  having  passed  through 
the  portals  of  death, 

"  And  shown  our  feet  the  way," 

he  ascended  on  high.  Sanctified  humanity  had  now 
become  glorified  humanity ;  but  it  was  humanity  still. 
Those  very  feet,  that  had  traversed  the  streets  of  Jeru- 
salem and  its  adjacent  villages,  and  whose  every  step,  as 
our  Exemplar,  had  been  in  obedience  to  the  will  of  his 
Father,  and  which  were  at  last  nailed  to  the  cross, — 
those  identical  hands,  which  had  been  extended  in  min- 
istrations to  the  multitude,  and  had  so  recently  washed 
the  disciples'  feet,  and  had  yet  more  recently  been 
extended  before  heaven  and  earth,  and  riveted  to  the 
wood — that  head,  pierced  with  thorns  ;  that  body, 
whose  every  limb,  and  fibre,  had  been  convulsed  with 
intenser  agony  than  the  mind  of  man  may  conceive, — 
that  identical  body  ascended  to  heaven.  The  disciples 
stood  gazing  with  wonder  and  awe  as  they  saw  that 
human,  yet  glorified,  form  borne  upward  till  "  a  cloud 
received  him  out  of  their  sight."  And,  now  that  the 
Son  of  God  has  ascended,  he  has  not  forgotten  that  he 
was  the  Son  of  man.  No.  Be  it  ever  remembered, 
that  he  hath  borne  glorified  humanity  to  heaven — 

"  The  dear  tokens  of  his  passion, 
Still  his  dazzling  body  hears." 

And  there  he  represents  us  before  the  throne  of  his 
Father.  Yes,  man  once  made  in  the  image  of  God  hath 
now  a  representative  in  heaven. 


200  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Heaven's  representative.      A  child's  question.     How  one  may  chase  a  thousand. 


§hmutg  on  dfartlt. 


Henceforth,  earth  may  no  more  know  Christ  after 
the  flesh.  But  has  he  left  no  representative  of  him- 
self ?  Is  his  image  to  fade  away  from  the  earth  ?  No  ; 
he  died  to  restore  the  lost  image  of  God  to  man.  While 
in  heaven,  he  1  epresents  man  ;  he  leaves  man  here  to 
represent  him.  "  As  he  was,  even  so  are  we  in 
this  world."  His  very  footprints  he  hath  left  indelibly 
marked  ;  and  now,  if  we  say  we  abide  in  him,  we  must 
walk  even  as  he  walked.  Do  you  wonder,  when  I  say 
that  the  responsibilities  of  the  Christian  seem  to  mj 
mind  so  high,  that  my  spirit  labors  for  power  to  express 
its  weighty  conceptions  ? 

Little  daughter  said  to  me,  a  few  weeks  since,  "  Ma, 
what  is  it  to  have  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  ?. "  "If 
your  mind  were  in  me,"  I  replied,  "  I  should  act  just  as 
you  act,  and  if  the  mind  of  Christ  is  in  us,  we  shall 
act  just  as  Christ  would  have  acted,  if  placed  in  sim- 
ilar circumstances  to  ours  :  for  it  is  the  mind  that 
moves  to  action."  Were  all  who  are  called  by  the 
name  of  Christ  actually  to  possess  his  mind,  and  re- 
flect his  image,  and  to  exhibit  their  living  realizations 
of  that  faith,  which  says,  "  I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  which  strengtheneth  me,"  it  would  be  an  every 
day  sight  to  see  u  one  chase  a  thousand,  and  two  put 
ten  thousand  to  flight."  And  if  we  may  thus  speak  of 
the  calling  of  Christians,  where  shall  we  find  words  to 
speak  of  their  responsibilities  ? 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  #0 1 


How  the  world  might  have  been  renovated.      Consequences.       Blood-guiltiness. 

We  know  that  Christ  has  purchased  for  us  all  the 
grace  we  need,  but  we  do  not  properly  appreciate  the 
fact  that  our  privileges  are  high  responsibilities — solemn 
duties.  These  privileges  are  blood-bought,  and  the 
honor  of  God,  and  the  establishment  of  his  kingdom  on 
earth,  stand  connected  with  our  availing  ourselves 
of  them.  I  cannot  but  believe  that,  long  since, '  a 
redeemed  world  had  been  renovated,  had  individual 
professors  acted  upon  the  principle  that  their  privileges 
were  duties.  Where  is  the  professor,  who  takes  the 
Bible  as  the  book  which  marks  out  the  boundaries  of 
his  inheritance,  who,  if  you  ask,  "  Do  you  believe  it 
to  be  your  privilege  to  have  Christ  constantly  dwelling 
in  your  heart  ?  "  would  not  say,  "  O,  yes,  for  he  hath 
said,  He  would  dwell  in  me,  and  walk  in  me."  But, 
alas  !  how  few  exhibit,  by  their  lives,  that  they  have  his 
constant  and  conscious  indwelling  !  And  yet,  what  tre- 
mendous consequences  stand  connected  with  professors 
availing  themselves  of  their  privilege,  in  this  regard  \ 
The  Savior  says,  "  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  the 
world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me."  From  this, 
we  see  it  plainly  inferrible,  that,  unless  those  who  name 
the  name  of  Christ  exhibit  before  the  world  an  indwel- 
ling Christ,  the  world  will  not  believe ;  then,  if  the 
world  perishes  in  its  unbelief,  upon  whose  skirts  will 
the  blood  of  these  souls  be  found? — souls  for  whom 
Christ  hath  died  ! 


202  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  hobby.  The  distinguishing  doctrine.         Ordination  vows  forgotten. 


(Site  Jte. 


"  That  is  a  man  of  one  idea.  Holiness  is  his  hobby. 
Seldom  have  I  heard  him  preach  a  sermon,  speak  in  a 
meeting,  or  fall  in  with  a  friend,  but,  before  he  gets 
through,  he  will  be  on  his  old  hobby — holiness.  Yes, 
holiness,  with  him,  is  alpha  and  omega." 

About  thus  remarked  my  friend,  as  the  character  of  ail 
eminently  holy,  laborious  and  successful  minister  passed 
in  review  before  him.  And  this  friend  was  a  Methodist 
minister,  who,  had  I  asked  him,  "  What  is  the  distin- 
guishing doctrine  of  Methodism  ?  "  would,  probably, 
have  said,  "  Holiness."  For  this  doctrine,  the  founder 
of  Methodism  suffered  the  greatest  opprobrium,  and,  for 
this,  does  Methodism,  even  to  the  present  hour,  stand 
out  as  most  objectionable  before  several  other  denomina- 
tions. How  little  do  those  who  indulge  'n  observations 
of  this  sort  conceive  of  the  mischievous  and  far-reach- 
ing consequences  !  A  person  has  a  right  «o  his  opinion 
as  a  member  of  community ;  but  has  a  man  who,  by  sol- 
emn ordination  vows,  has  taken  upon  himself  obligations 
to  sustain  the  doctrines  of  a  church  which  has  given 
him  suffrage,  a  right  to  give  utterance  to  sentiments 
which  would  poisonously  affect  its  vital  interests  ?  The 
church,  surely,  will  not  hold  a  man  guiltless  who  does 
this.  But  who  are  these  men,  who  talk  about  those, 
who,  in  their  ministrations,  give  the  doctrine  of  holiness 
the  prominence  which  the  Bible  and  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  give  it?     Are  they  of  that  class  of  men 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  203 


A  serious  question.  Paul's  one  idea.  Object  of  his  preaching. 

whose  ministrations  have  been  most  signally  blest  by  the 
head  of  the  church?  Are  they  those  whose  deep- 
toned  and  all-pervading  piety  makes  its  mark  most 
permanently  upon  the  social  circle  and  church  commu- 
nity ?  Are  they  those,  who,  by  their  symmetrical 
lives,  exhibit  most  of  the  power  and  beauty  of  internal 
holiness  ?  And  yet  more  serious  in  aspect,  in  view  of 
eternity,  is  the  question,  Is  the  ultimate  object  of  all 
religious  ministrations,  that  is,  —  "  that  every  man  may 
be  presented  perfect  in  Christ  Jesus," — more  fully  met 
in  ministers  of  this  description  ? 


» *>>  i 


Ms  mxt  ifting  J  §0." 


Paul  professed  a  state  of  perfection.  And  he  regard- 
ed progress  in  this  state  as  so  important,  that  he  expres- 
ses his  absorption  on  this  subject,  thus :  "  This  one  thing 
I  do,  forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind,  and  reach- 
ing forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before,"  &c.  He 
then  exhorts  all  who  are  perfect  to  be  thus  minded. 
"  But,  surely,  Paul  was  not  always  harping  on  the  word 
holiness,"  says  my  friend.  No  ;  but  Paul  regarded  this 
as  the  ultimate  object  of  all  pious  effort,  the  one  aim  of 
all  preaching,  warning  and  teaching.  "  Whom  we 
preach,  warning  every  man,  and  teaching  every  man  in 
all  wisdom,  that  we  may  present  every  man  perfect  in 
Christ  Jesus."     Paul  well  knew  that  to  fail  of  this  was 


204:  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF     THE 

Conversation  with  Paul.  Justification  retained  by  obedience 

to  fail  of  heaven.  He  was  aware  that  not  one  of  the 
many  converted  through  his  agency  could  reach  the 
heavenly  goal,  unless  presented  perfect.  Suppose  one 
of  his  sons  in  the  gospel  had  said,  i '  Father  Paul,  why 
tell  us  to  mind  this  one  thing,  by  being  thus  engrossed 
in  one  topic  ?  We  shall,  surely,  be  branded  as  men  of 
one  idea.  Why  say  *  Without  holiness  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord '  ?  We  profess  to  be  in  a  state  of  justifica- 
tion, and  you  do  not  think  a  justified  soul  can  be  lost ! ' 
Perhaps  we  might  have  heard  this  affectionate  spiritual 
sire  say,  "  My  children  in  the  gospel,  know  that,  in 
order  to  retain  the  grace  of  justification  wherein  you 
stand,  you  must  obey  God,  and  go  on  to  perfection.  If 
disobedient  in  this  one  thing,  you  will  be  condemned,  and, 
of  course,  you  cannot  be  condemned  and  justified  at  the 
same  time.  You  cannot  retain  a  state  of  justification, 
unless  you  mind  this  one  thing,  and  go  on  to  perfection. 

"  But,  Father  Paul,  if  we  obey  your  admonition,  and 
mind  this  one  thing,  what  will  become  of  these  poor 
perishing  sinners  around  us,  who  have  not  yet  learned 
even  the  first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ  ?  Shall 
we  leave  them  to  perish  while  we  are  thus  occupying 
ourselves  with  our  own  experience,  and  saying,  with 
you,  «  This  one  thing  I  do  '  ?  " 

"  No,  my  dear  children  ;  in  minding  this  one  thing, 
you  include  every  duty  of  this  sort.  Duty,  in  every 
form,  is  included  in  perfection  ;  it  implies  an  assemblage 
of  all  the  christian  graces.  It  is  having  that  mind  that 
was  in  Christ,  and  did  your  Savior,  in  minding  this  one 
thing,  absorb  himself  in  his  own  experience  ? ,? 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  205 

What  about  my  influence  ?  Answer.  A  pastor's  trials  varied— and  how. 

"  But,  Father  Paul,  shall  we  not,  by  following  you,  in 
minding  this  one  thing,  appear  as  men  of  contracted 
minds,  and,  by  this  indication  of  a  limited  understanding, 
shall  we  not  circumscribe  our  influence  ?  Should  we 
be  regarded  as  men  of  one  idea,  what  hope  can  we 
em  ^r  tain  of  ever  rising  to  influential  positions  ?  By 
doing  this  one  thing,  then,  we  must  forever  abandon  all 
hops  of  preferment  or  extensive  usefulness  in  this 
world." 

"  Did  your  Savior  sustain  an  influential  position  in 
the  etstimation  of  the  professors  of  his  day  ?  Yet  did  the 
want  of  this  curtail  his  usefulness  ?  '  Be  ye  followers 
of  Chi'ist,  as  dear  children.'  " 


*  *i» « 


inistmal  (irate  mi  ©rtomptos. 


Few  know  how  properly  to  appreciate  the  faithful 
ambassador  from  the  court  of  heaven.  How  varied  are 
his  cares,  and  joys  !  Well-nigh  as  varied  as  are  the 
preferences  of  those  to  whom  he  ministers  are  his  allot- 
ments. And  who  can  say  how  various  these  preferences 
among  his  people  may  be,  when  the  difference  in  cir- 
cumstance, and  in  social  and  religious  training,  is  con- 
sidered ?  The  high,  low,  rich,  poor,  literary,  and  illit- 
erate congregate.  Each  requires  a  portion  of  food  in 
due  season,  or  must  go  away  unfed. 

Our    views    of  propriety  are  often  formed,  and  our 

18 


206  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Paul's  "  shady  "  and  "  sunny  "  sides.        Do  n't  bring  your  pastor  to  your  measure. 

preferences  adopted,  as  the  result  of  our  previous  social 
and  religious  training.  Thus,  some  applaud  what  others 
condemn  as  a  mortal  sin.  No  wonder  that  an  inspired 
apostle  exclaimed,  "  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things  ?  ' 
Ah,  Paul,  in  his  itinerant  life,  had  his  "  shady  "  and  his 
"  sunny  "  side.  But,  though  "  troubled  on  every  side," 
he  was  not  distressed,  though  "perplexed,  he  was  not 
in  despair  ;  persecuted,  but  not  forsaken  ;  cast  down, 
but  not  destroyed."  Yet,  though  he  bore  about  him, 
in  his  body,  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  had  a 
fellowship  with  his  sufferings,  he  shared  in  Christ's 
triumph.  Christ  dwelt  in  his  heart.  The  life  of  Jesus 
was  manifest  in  his  mortal  flesh.  And,  with  an  indwel- 
ling Christ,  who  of  God  was  made  unto  him  wisdom, 
righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption,  no  wonder 
that  he  exclaims,  "  I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ 
which  strengtheneth  me." 

But,  O,  do  not — for  Christ's  sake,  do  not — add  to  the 
care  of  your  pastor.  And,  though  he  is  the  minister  of 
God  unto  you,  do  not  forget  that  he  is  a  man  of  like 
passions  with  yourself.  Though  we  trust  he  is  "  dead 
indeed  unto  sin,  and  alive  unto  God,"  yet  he  is  still  in 
the  body.  In  common  with  other  Christians,  he  has 
his  natural  preferences.  He  has  both  social  and  intel- 
lectual tastes  of  his  own,  such  as  are  common  to  recti- 
fied humanity.  'T  is  cruel  not  to  regard  these  innocent 
preferences.  The  loving,  gentle  Spirit  of  Christ  will  re- 
prove you  if  you  do  not.  It  is  his  wish  to  be  "  all  things 
to  all  men ;  "  yet  do  not  aim  too  scrupulously  to  bring 
him  down  to  your  measure.     Do  not  chide  your  minis- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  207 


How  you  may  give  pain  to  your  pastor.  His  name  is  known  in  heaven. 

ter,  in  thought,  or  word,  just  because  he  does  not  come 
up  to  the  line  you  have  drawn.  For  your  friend,  or  neigh- 
bor, who  has  an  equal  right  with  yourself,  stands  ready 
with  his  own  measure  to  do  the  same.  Hence  will 
come  conflicting  words,  and  opinions,  which  engender 
strife,  paining  the  tender  heart,  and  making  less  potent 
the  ministry  of  him  who  has  been  sent  as  an  ambassador 
for  Christ,  directly  from  the  court  of  heaven  to  you. 


Saltation  in  §mtm 


Here  is  a  minister  in  my  mind's  eye,  who  has  long 
tood  on  the  walls  of  Zion.  His  head  has  whitened, 
and  his  cheek  has  furrowed,  in  the  service  of  the  King 
of  kings.  Though  still  a  resident  on  earth,  he  is  well 
known  in  heaven.  His  many  long  years  of  faithful  ser- 
vice as  an  ambassador  from  the  court  of  heaven,  have 
caused  his  name  to  be  very  favorably  and  familiarly 
known  among  all  the  higher  orders  of  heaven.  Pure, 
affectionate  angels  are  often  despatched  from  the  throne 
to  tender  their  most  loving  assiduities.  And,  though 
all  the  heirs  of  salvation  are  favored  with  angelic  min- 
istrations, yet  few  have  so  largely  served  the  interests 
of  God's  kingdom,  by  bringing  many  sons  to  glory, 
and  few,  therefore,  are  more  favorably  known  in  heaven, 
or  more  affectionately  ministered  unto. 


208  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

Angelic  servants.  An  elder  and  a  younger  minister. 

i 
"  Angels  his  servants  are, 

And  keep  in  all  his  ways  ; 

And  in  their  hands  they  bear, 

This  sacred  child  of  grace." 

Scores  of  blood-washed  spirits  have  already  entered 
the  abodes  of  Paradise,  whose  feet  were  turned  into  the 
paths  of  righteousness  through  his  instrumentality.  Our 
God  is  "  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living." 
And  do  not  these  redeemed  spirits,  won  to  Christ 
through  the  agency  of  this  aged  ambassador,  lovingly 
remember  him  as,  in  groups,  they  gather  on  the  eternal 
hills  ?  Yes  !  And  O,  how  they  are  longing  to  receive 
him  into  everlasting  habitations  ! 

They  guard  his  every  footstep,  watch  each  tear, 

And  treasure  every  wish  of  holy  birth ; 
And  oft  with  heaven's  own  fruit  his  spirit  cheer, 

To  urge  his  longing  homeward  from  the  earth. 
And,  when  his  Father  gently  whispers  leave, 

That  darkened  faith  shall  change  to  open  sight ; 
Myriads,  with  upraised  wings,  the  word  receive, 

And  usher  him  into  the  realms  of  light. 


—  »»« 


»t  1  fjecfcd  Piirato'ii  $4^. 

Do  you  use  your  minister  well,  or  is  he  less  beloved 
and  less  honored  because  the  infirmities  of  age  begin  to 
approach,  and  because  the  pious  solidity  of  his  manner 
is  less  calculated  to  court  popular  applause  than  the 
manner  of  some  younger  or  less  pious  minister  ?  Would 
you  love  to  have  an  insight  into  the  vicissitudes  of 
some  ministers  ?     Let  me  tell  you  of  a  scene  which  is 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  209 

Scene  behind  the  curtain.  Goes  to  the  court  of  heaven.  Redress. 

witnessed  behind  the  curtain.  Here  is  a  minister  past 
the  meridian  of  life.  With  faithfulness  and  much  suc- 
cess, he  has  served  his  people.  And  now,  in  the  order 
of  Providence,  he  is  removed  to  another  sphere  of 
labor.  He  needs  no  commendation.  Many  epistles  of 
commendation  have  been  written,  not  with  ink,  but  with 
the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  ;  not  in  tables  of  stone, 
but  in  the  fleshly  tables  of  the  heart.  And  thus  he 
leaves  for  another  field  of  labor.  He  is  about  to  enter 
upon  it,  when  opposing  influences  obtrude.  The  people 
rise  en  masse,  and  reject  him.  He  goes,  not  to  the 
authorities  of  the  church,  but  goes  directly  to  him  from 
whom  he  receives  his  commission.  He  does  not  "  strive 
nor  cry,  neither  is  his  voice  heard  in  the  street  ;  "  but 
he  brings  his  cause  to  the  court  of  heaven,  and  makes 
his  requests  known. 

As  the  disciples  returned  to  Jesus,  so  he  returns,  and 
tells  him  all.  Having  committed  his  cause  to  him  who 
judgeth  righteously,  he,  hour  after  hour,  in  lone, 
prayerful  waiting,  asks  the  bidding  of  his  divine  com- 
missioner. Hours,  and  even  days,  pass  away,  when 
this  pleading,  heart-stricken  minister  is  summoned  from 
his  closet.  He,  in  whose  hand  is  the  heart  of  kings,  has 
taken  the  cause  of  this  faithful  ambassador  into  his  own 
keeping,  and  lo  !  without  any  personal  interview,  or  the 
employment  of  any  means  but  those  of  fasting  and 
prayer  on  his  part,  the  very  people  who  had  rejected 
him  are  now  waiting  with  open  hearts  to  receive  him. 
He  goes,  filled  with  the  might  of  the  Spirit.  God 
greatly  owns  his  labors,  and  many  are  added  to  the  Lord. 

18* 


210  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  good  pastor  a  gift  from  God.  A  gem  among  rubbish. 

Ah,  it  was  the  Lord  that  turned  the  heart  of  this 
people,  even  as  the  rivers  of  water  are  turned,  whither- 
soever he  will.  But  who  can  tell  the  agony  of  that  faith- 
ful minister's  heart,  during  the  hours  of  his  rejection  ? 
How  much  better,  had  this  people  gone  to  the  Head  of 
the  church,  and  asked  for  a  pastor  after  God's  own 
heart,  and  saved  this  faithful  minister  these  burning 
tears  !  A  good  pastor  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  God  will 
send  such  to  that  people  who,  in  humble,  prayerful  con 
fidence,  wait  upon  him.     "He  that  asketh  receiveth." 


tmtmt 


kMn$  the  lost. 


Perhaps  you  are  aiming  too  high.  If  you  cannot 
reach  that  dignitary,  walking  yonder  in  his  beaver  of  the 
latest  style,  and  his  fine  broadcloth,  we  will  step  aside 
from  the  walks  of  the  refined.  We  will  not  look  for 
polish  of  any  sort.  But  yet,  who  knows  but  we  may 
find  a  gem  amid  the  quarry  of  rubbish  ?  Here  are  broken 
hats,  and  soiled  and  tattered  garments.  But  the  wearer 
has,  in  his  possession,  a  gem  of  priceless  value.  But  of 
this  fact,  he  is  scarcely  aware.  He  has  been  cast  into 
the  lowest  dregs  of  society.  He  has  sipped  the  intoxi- 
cating cup,  till  his  senses  are  benumbed.  Though  made 
in  God's  image,  he  has  well-nigh  sunk  to  the  level  of  the 
brute  !  He  is  bending  low.  His  manliness  of  form,  his 
intellect,  his  precious  soul,  made  in  the  image  of  God, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  211 

_     —  —  , .     .  .     i. .  - .  _ ...........  ^  , 

The  king  and  the  gipsy.  Heavenly  benevolence  and  human  wretchedness. 

are  well-nigh  lost  from  human  vision — buried  beneath 
the  rubbish  of    sin. 

It  was  thought  wonderful  condescension,  in  the 
king  who  lingered  behind  his  courtiers  in  the  chase,  to 
seek  out  the  dying  mother  of  the  weeping  little  gipsy. 
But  the  King  of  kings,  the  Lord  of  lords,  left  his  thrcne 
in  glory,  to  seek  and  save  the  lost.  Let  us  imitate  his 
condescension,  and  "  not  mind  high  things,  but  conde- 
scend to  men  of  low  estate."  Was  a  sacrifice  needed  to 
save  the  world  ?  The  wealth  of  heaven  was  expended. 
Was  Christ  laborious  and  incessant  in  his  efforts  to 
seek  and  to  save  the  lost?  He  was  weary  when  at 
Jacob's  well,  and  often  found  not  time,  "  so  much  as  to 
eat."  Yes,  he  came  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.  Seek- 
ing implies  research,  labor.  Research,  aye,  wearing  la- 
bor may  be  needful,  before  we  find  these  precious  gems, 
so  nearly  lost  amid  the  devastations  of  sin.  But  we 
must  have  them.  The  Savior  hath  need  of  them.  He 
purchased  them  with  his  own  blood.  Every  one  of  them 
is  worth  more  than  the  universe.  It  is  his  will  that 
they  should  deck  his  crown,  and  shine  as  stars  in  the 
firmament  forever.  Then  we  will  think  no  pains  too 
great  to  gather  them.  But  let  us  get  down  low — very 
low — in  the  depths  of  humility,  or  we  may  not  be  able 
to  bring  up  these  priceless  gems  from  the  depths,  into 
which  sin  has  plunged  them. 

THE    INEBRIATE. 

Shall  we  tell  you  just  how  we  sought  out,  and  found 
one  of  these,  who  seemed  sunk  into  the  very  lowest 


212  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  specimen  of  degraded  humanity  on  the  camp  giound. 


depths  of  sin  and  degradation  ?  It  was  on  an  occasion, 
when  a  portion  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  go  up  to  worship 
in  the  wilderness,  as  in  ancient  days.  The  public  ser- 
vices of  the  day  had  closed,  and  those  not  disposed  to 
remain  on  the  ground  over  night  were  departing.  We 
were  about  leaving  for  the  night,  with  the  physician  of 
a  neighboring  village,  when  one  of  the  most  degraded  be- 
sotted-looking inebriates,  pausing  at  the  door  of  the  tent, 
inquisitively  looked  in.  Such  a  down-trodden,  low, 
sunken-looking  being,  I  think,  I  never  saw  on  a  camp- 
ground before  or  since.  One  might  have  imagined, 
from  his  appearance,  that  he  had  not  performed  his 
toilet  after  any  fashion,  either  in  washing,  or  changing 
his  apparel,  for  many  days.  As  I  looked  on  him,  my 
heart  yearned  sadly  over  him,  and  I  thought  if  the 
Savior  was  on  this  ground  in  person,  as  in  Jerusalem  in 
the  days  of  his  incarnation,  would  not  this  individual, 
above  all  others,  attract  his  attention  ?  He  "  came  to 
seek  and  to  save  the  lost,"  and  the  nearer  an  individual 
is  being  lost,  the  more  does  he  need  salvation  ;  and  the 
greater  and  more  immediate  his  demand  on  our  sym- 
pathies. But  it  was  now  high  time  to  hasten  away  ;  and 
the  kind  physician,  whose  hospitalities  we  were  sharing, 
was  not  well,  and  waiting  with  some  anxiety  to  leave  the 
ground.  u  And  what  a  wonderful  display  of  voluntary 
humility,  to  go  unsolicited,  and  interest  yourself  with 
such  a  spectacle  of  degraded  humanity ! "  said  the 
enemy,  tauntingly.  But  so  strongly  were  the  sympa- 
thies of  my  heart  enlisted,  that  I  resolved  to  overleap  all 
opposing  influences,  and  do  just  as  I  believed  my  Sa- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  213 


Expostulation.  A  promise  sought.  A  claim  for  Jesus. 

vior  would  have  done,  under  similar  circumstances. 
I  addressed  him  affectionately,  and  said,  "  O,  my  friend, 
why  do  you  indulge  in  that  which  is  so  destructive  to 
soul  and  body  ?  " 

"  W-h-a-t — d-o — y-o-u — s-a-y  ?  "  he  stammered  out, 
reminding  one  much  more  of  the  animal  that  had  re- 
turned to  his  "  wallowing  in  the  mire,"  than  of  a  human 
being. 

I  repeated  with  a  yearning  heart,  and  in  a  sympathiz- 
ing tone,  "  Will  you  not  resolve,  in  the  strength  of 
the  Lord,  that  you  will  never  taste  another  drop  of 
liquor  ?  " 

I  was  only  answered  in  a  gruff,  guttural  half-intelli- 
gible tone,  my  meaning,  probably,  being  scarcely  appre- 
hended. The  intoxicating  draught  had  well-nigh  done 
its  worst  for  this  poor  inebriate,  and  it  was  only  the 
fact,  that  he  had  a  soul  that  cost  the  price  of  the  Re- 
deemer's blood,  that  raised  him  above  the  brute  crea- 
tion. But  this  consideration  told  with  almost  agonizing 
weight  on  my  heart,  and  a  kind,  waiting  husband,  and 
waiting,  hurrying  friends,  all  failed  to  move  me. 

My  faith  had  claimed  that  soul  for  Jesus.  Jesus,  as 
my  Almighty  Helper,  seemed  to  stand  at  my  right  hand, 
that  I  should  not  be  moved.  I  heard  his  voice,  whis- 
pering in  my  Spirit's  ear,  "  Ask  what  ye  will  in  my  name, 
and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you."  I  asked,  with  a  faith 
that  would  take  no  denial,  for  the  salvation  of  that  soul ; 
and,  as  "faith  without  works  is  dead"  I  resolved  on  the 
use  of  every  possible  means.  With  still  greater  impor- 
tunity, I  urged  the  question  yet  again  and  again, 


214  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Threatened  destruction.  Hopeful  symptom.  Suddenly  yields. 

"  Will  you  not  resolve,  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord, 
to  give  up  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquor  ?  It  has  already 
well-nigh  ruined  you,  soul  and  body.  It  is  destroying 
your  prospects  for  time  and  for  eternity.  O,  will  you 
not  give  it  up,  and  resolve,  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord, 
never  to  take  another  drop  ?  You,  doubtless,  have 
often  resolved  in  your  own  strength  that  you  would  do 
this  before.  But,  mark,  I  do  not  ask  you  to  do  it  in 
your  own  strength." 

And  still  he  stood  mute,  invulnerable  to  my  most 
tender  and  expostulating  entreaties.  Each  moment 
seemed  the  last  that  I  could  stay,  and  yet  I  could  not 
give  him  up.  But  there  was  one  thing,  which,  to  the 
superficial  observer,  might  have  seemed  discouraging, 
that,  to  my  mind,  inspired  hope.  Surely,  he  cannot  be 
dead  to  all  moral  principle.  This  must  have  survived 
the  wreck  of  all  things  else  that  ennobles  man.  Would 
he  not,  in  answer  to  my  imploring  entreaties,  say, 
"  Yes,"  if  it  were  only  to  escape  my  pleadings  ?  And 
this  inspired  me  to  persevere,  resolved  that  I  would  take 
no  denial. 

Addressing  him  again,  I  said,  "  I  want  to  pray  with 
you,  that  the  Lord  may  strengthen  you  ;  but  I  cannot  ask 
the  Lord  to  strengthen  you  to  do  a  thing,  that  you  have 
not  resolved  you  will  do.  How  can  I  ask  the  Lord  to 
strengthen  you  to  keep  a  resolve  which  you  have  not 
made  ?  God  promises  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need. 
The  moment  you  make  the  resolve  in  the  strength  of  the 
Lord,  that  moment  Almighty  strength  is  pledged  for 
your  sustainment." 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  215 

The  Spirit's  response  to  a  good  resolution.  Prayer  till  the  midnight  hour. 

He  suddenly  yielded,  and  exclaimed,  in  a  firm  .voice, 
"  In  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  I  will !  " 
Seldom,  if  ever,  have  I  witnessed  such  a  sudden  and 
miraculous  effusion  of  the  Spirit  into  any  poor  soul. 
His  spiritual  susceptibilities,  which  before  had  seemed 
too  obtuse  ever  to  be  reached,  were  now  strangely 
touched,  and,  to  the  amazement  of  all,  he  cried  out, 
"  Oh,  wife  !  wife  !  wife  !  how  have  we  lived  !  " 
He  rushed  to  a  bench  standing  near,  and  fell  on  his 
knees,  crying  for  mercy.  His  wife,  a  poor  broken- 
hearted woman,  not  known  to  us  till  this  eventful 
moment,  was  quickly  by  his  side,  and  there,  in  humble 
confessions  to  God,  and  to  each  other,  they  implored 
mercy  through  Christ.  Many,  and  earnest  were  the 
petitions,  presented  in  behalf  of  these  penitent,  weeping 
suppliants.  And  it  was  not  till  near  midnight,  that  we 
felt  that  we  could  leave  them.  How  delightful  it  is  to 
see  the  charities  of  our  divine  Christianity  so  beautifully 
exhibited !  Here  was  one,  who,  by  the  errors  of  his 
life,  had  brought  himself  down  to  the  very  lowest  dregs 
of  society,  by  a  resolve  made  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord 
Jehovah,  suddenly  brought  up,  and  laid  on  the  heart  of 
God's  people,  enlisting  their  most  imploring  supplica- 
tions, and  tearful  sympathies,  and  holding  them  waking, 
till  near  the  midnight  hour.  Could  any  thing,  but  the 
blessed  charities,  the  divine  inspirations  of  our  holy 
Christianity,  have  done  this  ? 

The  next  morning  witnessed  the  inebriate  and  his 
wife,  yet  stronger  in  their  purposes  to  lead  a  new  life. 
They  seemed  to  have  lost  all  idea  of  self-dependence, 


216  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


How  God  drew  nigh.  A  public  avowal.  "  Peace,  be  still." 

and  were  trusting  in  the  Lord  to  strengthen  them.  In 
drawing  nigh  unto  God,  in  the  decision  that  they  would 
forsake  the  intoxicating  cup,  and  every  evil  way,  God 
drew  nigh  unto  them,  and  gave  them  to  see  the  sinful- 
ness of  their  hearts  and  lives.  They  were  now  earnest, 
humble  seekers  of  salvation.  When  the  invitation  was 
given  in  the  public  congregation,  to  those  who  had  re- 
solved to  give  up  all,  and  follow  Christ,  to  come  forward, 
where  they  might  have  the  prayers  and  sympathies  of 
the  pious,  this  man  and  his  wife  eagerly  hastened  forward. 

The  hour  of  deliverance  came.  Toward  evening  of 
the  same  day,  the  inebriate  was  enabled  to  exercise  faith 
in  the  Savior  of  sinners.  I  was  near  him  when  his  soul 
was  emancipated  from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  into  the 
kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son.  O,  it  was  indeed  beauti- 
ful, to  see  that  dark  countenance  suddenly  lighted  up 
with  holy  joy,  as  the  Savior  said,  u  Peace,  be  still " ! 
The  sun,  suddenly  emerging  from  the  darkest  thunder- 
cloud, gives  but  a  faint  emblem  of  that  sudden  transition 
from  darkness  to  light.  The  child  of  wrath  had  been 
born  into  the  kingdom  of  grace !  The  heir  of  sin  and 
death  had  been  made  an  inheritor  of  God,  and  an  heir 
of  eternal  life !  His  wife  was  also,  the  same  afternoon, 
made  a  partaker  of  the  like  precious  faith. 

About  two  years  subsequent  to  the  conversion  of  the 
inebriate,  I  was  again  in  the   same   region.     Said  the 
lady  of  the  minister,  in  charge  of  a  large  church  mem 
bership  in  that  region, 

"  Do  you  remember  the  inebriate  you  spoke  to  that 
evening,  in  the  tent  door  ?  " 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  £17 

Two  years  in  the  way  unnoticed.  Workmen. 

"Indeed  I  do." 

"  O,  I  wish  you  could  have  heard  him  give  in  his 
testimony,  a  week  or  two  ago,  in  our  love-feast !  He 
is  getting  on  delightfully  in  religion,  and  has,  ever  since, 
been  doing  well  for  himself  and  family." 

Was  not  this  a  gem  worth  getting  down  very  low  to 
look  after  ?  O,  shall  I  not,  in  the  day  of  eternity,  see  it 
sparkling  in  my  Redeemer's  crown  ?  Surely,  such  a 
sight  will  be  worth  a  lifetime  on  earth ! 


^•mt 


%  Pintsimng  %M%t\  trrxrh  ifa  $nmt 


How  do  you  like  to  go  down  low  in  the  vale,  quite 
aside  from  the  higher  walks  of  men,  and  hide  away  in 
the  shade  to  work  ?  It  is  not  always  pleasant  to  nature 
to  be  hidden  awray  from  the  observations  of  the  mighty 
and  the  noble,  is  it  ?  But,  with  a  sufficiency  of  grace, 
and  led  by  the  hand  of  the  all-powerful  and  lowTly 
Savior,  we  may  find  it  even  pleasant  to  get  down  low, — 
very  low.  And  here,  do  we  not  only  find  the  low, 
sunken  and  lost,  but  here  do  wre  sometimes  find  the 
underpinning  of  some  great  superstructure  of  error. 
And  here,  in  lowly  toil,  unseen  by  the  great  and  wise, 
in  omnipotent  strength,  may  we  work  away  at  the  deep- 
laid  foundations  of  error,  till  the  loud  cry  is  heard  from 

19 


^18  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  hidden  workman.  Who  was  present.  Coming  up. 

above,  The  superstructure  is  fallen — fallen  to  rise  no 
more !  It  matters  not,  as  the  note  of  victory  ascends, 
that  he  who  gave  the  successful  blow,  is  hidden  away 
from  human  applause.  Some  shining  name  may  have 
taken  the  praise.  But  it  matters  not.  The  lowly 
Savior  was  present  when  the  act  was  done.  He  is  ever 
closely  with  those  who,  at  his  bidding,  work  low  in  the 
vale  of  humility.  It  was  by  his  wisdom  and  strength 
the  successful  blow  was  given.  Christ  was  the  divine 
director,  and  it  indeed  matters  little  whether  the  agent 
employed  should  have  a  name  written  among  men  ;  for 
a  ministering  angel  from  the  eternal  city  was  present 
and,  marking  the  successful  blow,  wrote  down  the  name 
of  the  agent  employed,  on  the  pages  of  immortality 
O,  it  is  indeed  good  and  pleasant  to  get  down  to  pick 
up  gems,  and  knock  away  underpinnings ! 


>  mtm  > 


®fe  Ittajgiatrate,  tfa  latter,  and  tto  Itterrttant 


But  sometimes  our  Lord  says,  "  Come  up  higher," 
and  then,  of  course,  it  is  a  duty  to  go.  Before  honor 
cometh  humility.  If  the  Savior  is  with  us,  it  ought  to 
be  equally  pleasant  to  obey  his  bidding,  whether  it  be  to 
come  up  higher,  or  to  go  down  lower.  We  have  been 
down  low,  in  the  walks  of  life,  and  brought  up  our 
friend,  the  inebriate  ;  and  we  have  just  parted  with  him. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  219 

Perpetual  reformation  anticipated.      Several  persons  arrested  in  the  higher  walks. 

with  his  heart  glad  in  the  Lord,  and  a  right  spirit  put 
within  him.  His  heart  has  been  changed.  And,  as  the 
issues  of  life  are  from  the  heart,  we  have  reason  to  hope 
for  a  life  wholly  and  perpetually  reformed.  What  a 
change  in  less  than  twenty-four  hours  ! 

But  scarcely  more  remarkable  was  this  than  another 
scene  we  witnessed  in  about  twenty-four  hours  after,  in 
the  same  tent  where  we  first  saw  the  inebriate.  The 
awakening  Spirit  of  God  had  gone  forth  in  a  manner 
unexpected  and  unprecedented  in  our  n  ^collections,  in 
that  community,  arresting  numbers  in  the  higher  walks 
of  life.  And  here,  where  we  had,  on  the  preceding 
night,  till  near  the  midnight  hour,  labored  with  the 
down-trodden  inebriate,  we  were  now  called  to  labor 
till  long  after  midnight  with  most  of  the  principal 
men  of  the  region.  Here,  in  the  tent  of  the  physician, 
was  the  magistrate,  the  lawyer,  and  the  merchant,  with 
several  other  gentlemen  of  the  same  class,  with  their 
ladies,  earnestly  seeking  the  Lord,  confessing  their  sins 
before  the  Lord  and  each  other,  and  imploring  the 
prayers  of  God's  people.  Several  of  these  also  were 
blest  before  morning,  and,  we  trust,  went  down  to  their 
houses  justified.  "  It  is  not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but 
by  my  Spirit,"  saith  the  Lord.  If  sinners  are  arrested, 
it  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that  the  agencies  are  ap- 
pointed and  made  efficient.  But  do  you  think  the  Holy 
Spirit  would  have  made  use  of  the  means  by  which  these, 
in  the  higher  walks  of  life,  or  their  friends,  were  thus 
arrested,  if  we  had  not  first  humbled  ourselves  to  raise 
up  this  low,  sunken  inebriate  ?     I  do  not. 


220  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  right  to  enter.  The  cro  wn  seen  Almost  an  abundant  entrance. 

My  heart  seems  so  drawn  to  you  this  moment  that  I 
have  concluded  to  pause  and  communicate  with  you  on 
paper.  How  are  you  prjgressing  in  that  narrow,  shin- 
ing way,  in  which  your  feet  were  set  several  years 
since  ?  The  eye  of  my  mind  beholds  you  making  rapid 
progress  toward  the  heavenly  city,  where  you  will 
remember  the  Savior  in  vision  told  you,  you  had  a  right 
to  enter.  Never  shall  I  forget  that  little  incident  in  the 
dream  you  related  to  me  ;  when,  as  you  had  reached 
the  end  of  your  earthly  journeyings,  you  came  up  to  the 
gate  of  the  heavenly  city,  and  began  to  knock.  The 
Savior,  looking  over  the  battlements  of  the  city,  bade 
you  enter  in,  saying,  "  You  have  no  need  to  knock  for 
entrance ;  you  have  a  right  to  enter  ;  you  knocked  in  the 
other  world."  And  then  you  were  permitted  to  enter, 
and  see  the  crown  in  reservation  for  you.  I  am  thank- 
ful that  you  did  not  feel  quite  satisfied  to  receive  that 
3rown  starless,  as  it  then  was.  Who  should  be  satisfied 
with  a  starless  crown,  when,  after  a  little  lingering  on 
oarth,  it  may  be  set  with  many  brilliant  stars  ?  Well, 
you,  my  dear  E.,  have  been  permitted  to  linger  several 
years,  and  have  you,  with  each  successive  year,  been 
gaining  stars  for  your  crown  ?  "  They  that  be  wise 
shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament,  and  they 
that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the  stars  for  evei 
and  ever."  O,  I  hope  yon  may  never,  for  a  moment, 
aim  at  any  thing  less  than  an   abundant  entrance  into 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  221 

An  ambition  to  be  cherished.         Always  victorious.        Conflict  and  conquest. 

the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 
Christ.  The  ambition  for  a  starry  crown — an  abundant 
entrance,  is  of  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
should  be  cherished.  With  such  inspirations  were  the 
apostles  and  the  holy  martyrs  fired. 

We  are  permitted  to  see  much  to  encourage  us. 
Perhaps  you  know  that  we  are  not  without  our  conflicts. 
But  conquests  are  seldom  gained  without  previous  con- 
flicts. "  If  Zion's  foes  are  still,  it  is  because  her  friends 
are  idle."  When  the  Lord  works,  Satan  musters  his 
forces  to  withstand.  Of  this,  you  are  aware  ;  for  you 
have  been  placed  in  circumstances  where  you  must 
often  have  been  called  to  resist.  But  to  the  Christian 
warrior  opposition  ought  rather  to  operate  as  an  incen- 
tive than  otherwise.  Never  has  a  battle  been  lost 
where  a  steady  trust  in  Christ  has  been  maintained. 
Those  who  are  led  into  battle  by  following  the  Lamb 
withersoever  he  goeth,  can  no  more  be  overcome  than 
the  Captain  of  their  salvation  can  be  overcome 

"  Jesus,  the  meek,  the  angry  Lamb, 
A  Lion  is  in  fight." 

HOW  NEW   VICTORIES  MAY   BE  OBTAINED. 

Every  new  battle  should  be  regarded  as  an  earnest  of 
a  new  victory.  It  is  thus  that  the  Christian  believer 
may  ever  be  rejoicing  in  hope.  I  know  one  who  has 
learned  to  look  at  every  new  conflict  as  it  presents  itself 
as  a  signal  for  a  new  conquest.  And,  having  cultiva- 
ted the  habit  of  thinking  and  talking  more  about  con- 
quest than  the  conflict,  an   idea  has  seemingly  obtained 

19* 


222  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  mistake.  "  But  shall  believers  fly  "l  "  Personal  peril  and  the  work, 

with  some  that  she  has  no  trials — no  conflicts.  But 
how  strangely  do  such  mistake  the  true  state  of  the 
case !  for  I  imagine  that  there  are  few  called  to  endure 
so  often  and  so  much.  Those  who  know  her  best  well 
know  that  she  is  called  to  endure  the  hottest  fire  from 
the  ranks  of  the  enemy. 

"  But  shall  believers  fear? 

But  shall  believers  fly? 
Or  see  the  bloody  cross  appear, 

And  all  hell's  hosts  defy? 
B,\  aii  .hell's  hosts  withstood, 

W«  all  hell's  power  o'erthrow; 
And,  conquering  them  through  Jesus'  blood, 

To  further  conquests  go." 


■  »»< 


$to  IStorlt  (StmrM,  not  ifa  Wothtak 


If  Nehemiah  had  not  been  engaged  in  rearing  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem,  the  enemies  of  the  Jews  would  not 
have  molested  him.  It  was  to  hinder  the  work  that 
the  arts  of  the  enemy  were  aimed.  But  Nehemiah 
seems  to  think  but  little  of  his  personal  safety.  His 
own  personal  peril,  or  inconvenience,  constitutes  so 
small  a  part  of  his  trial,  that  he  scarcely  condescends  to 
mention  them  otherwise  than  incidentallv,  as  in  needful 
connexion  with  his  work.  His  care  was  for  the  work,  that 
it   should  not  be   hindered.      "Why  should  the  work 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  LZCZ°6 


••  Why  should  the  work  cease  ?  "        The  workman  and  the  work.      Holiness  in  N.  Y. 

cease  while  I  come  down  ?  "  "  Should  such  a  man  as  I 
flee,  or  go  into  the  temple  to. save  my  life  ?  "  Had  he 
regarded  this  interference  with  his  work  as  a  personal 
grievance,  how"  much  time  might  have  been  consumed 
in  vexatious  contention,  while  the  rearing  of  the  walls 
had,  meanwhile,  ceased,  and  the  enemies  of  Israel  there- 
by gained  their  object !  Had  this  been  the  case,  the 
name  of  Nehemiah  had  probably  never  been  handed 
down  to  posterity.  Had  he  warred  months  and  years  to 
guard  his  good  name,  instead  of  guarding  his  work,  his 
name  would  have  perished  with  his  work,  and  neither 
his  name,  nor  his  work,  been  handed  down  with  honor- 
able mention  to  posterity.  How  many,  who  would  be 
the  Lord's  servants,  have,  after  the  same  similitude, 
failed ! 

"  Fix  on  his  work  thy  steadfast  eye, 
So  shall  thy  work  be  done  " 


*m*m- 


<J|awttjr  (Sathmtyj* 


The  cause  of  holiness  is  advancing  in  New  York. 
To  the  praise  of  God,  we  would  record  that  indications 
of  this  are  most  evident  and  satisfactory.  At  our  "  Fam- 
ily Gatherings,"  we  have  had  remarkable  displays  of  the 
power  and  presence  of  God.  Of  these  "  Family  Gath- 
erings," you  may  not   have  been   fully  advised.     The 


224  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  love-feast  Scores  of  witnesses         Fifty  ministers.        Father  Howe. 


ministers  of  our  various  churches,  embracing  between  thir- 
ty and  forty,  having  concluded  to  propose  to  the  people  a 
gathering  from  their  various  posts  on  the  third  Monday 
evening  of  every  month,  for  a  general  love-feast,  the 
proposition  has  been  joyfully  hailed,  and  the  manifesta- 
tions of  divine  approval  have  been  signal.  The  first 
love-feast  was  held  at  Greene-street  church  ;  the  latter,  at 
Allen-street.  Each  meeting  furnished  a  triumph  for 
truth  and  holiness  on  a  large  scale  j  and,  doubtless, 
quite  beyond  any  thing  ever  before  witnessed  in  this 
city  I  did  not  number  the  witnesses,  but  should  think 
scores  testified,  from  present  and  experimental  realiza- 
tions, of  the  power  of  Christ  to  save  from  all  sin.  In- 
deed, nearly  all  the  witnesses  testified  to  the  enjoyment 
of  this  blessing.  You  can  scarcely  conceive  of  the  in- 
terests of  these  occasions.  The  ministers  and  people 
came,  not  onlv  from  our  citv  and  suburb  churches,  but 
from  portions  more  remote.  .1  should  think  there  were 
fifty  ministers,  at  least,  present  at  each  of  these  love- 
feasts,  and  the  place  where  we  were  assembled  was 
crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity  with  the  delighted  mem- 
bers from  the  various  charges.  One  dear,  veteran  min- 
ister, of  the  Troy  Conference,  came  all  the  way  from 
Troy  to  be  present  at  our  last  gathering.  This  was 
Father  Howe.  He  gave  an  affecting,  condensed  account 
of  his  early  and  later  experiences  ;  told  of  his  increasing 
and  keener  convictions  in  regard  to  the  importance  of 
holiness  in  the  membership,  and  in  the  ministry,  and 
testified,  of  his  own  heart-perceptions,  of  its  blessednsss. 
I  imagine  that  visitors  from  abroad  must  have  concluded 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  225 

The  bride  ready.  Remote  field.  The  voice  amid  fire. 

that  the  experience  and  the  profession  of  holiness  were 
obtaining  among  the  Methodists  in  New  York.  But  I 
need  more  space  than  I  can  now  occupy,  in  order  to 
give  you  a  full  description  of  these  intensely  interesting 
pentecostal  occasions.  The  blending  in  solemn,  mighty, 
and  all-prevailing  prayer,  the  united  Amen,  the  blissful, 
high-toned  strains  in  praise  and  song,  reminded  one  of 
the  great  multitude,  who,  as  the  voice  of  many  waters, 
sounded  forth  "Alleluia,  for  the  Lord  God  omnipotent 
reigneth !  Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  do  honor 
to  him  ;  for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and 
his  wife  hath  made  herself  ready." 


» <i» 


Ho  a  (Jjjalifarruan. 


PROVIDENCE  INDICATES  THE  WILL  OF  GOD. 
My  heart  says,  praise  the  Lord,  in  view  of  what  have 
been  the  sustainings  of  his  grace  with  you  since  you 
left  for  your  remote  field  of  labor.  I  say,  M  your  field 
of  labor ;  "  for  you  are  now,  probably,  in  the  sphere  to 
which  God  has  directed  you.  "We  may  take  providen- 
tial indications  as  the  voice  of  God  as  truly  as  though, 
with  Moses,  we  heard  his  voice  from  the  burning  and 
unconsumed  bush.  Oftener,  perhaps,  than  elsewhere, 
is  the  voice  of  the  Lord  heard  by  his  devoted  followers 
while  they  walk  with  him  amid  fiery  trials. 


226  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

What  has  taken  many  to  California.  Counting-house  ministrations. 

An  unhallowed  thirst  for  gold, — a  haste  to  be  rich,— 
has  doubtless  taken  many  to  California,  to  the  harm  of 
soul,  body,  and  estate.  But,  if  I  understand  your  case, 
you  were  not  of  this  number.  Financial  embarrass- 
ments were,  I  have  thought,  probably  permitted  in  your 
case  with  the  specific  design  of  sending  you  to  a  field 
where  your  labors  were  greatly  needed.  While  you 
were,  perhaps,  grieving  over  these  matters,  and  feeling 
that  all  these  things  were  against  you,  God  was  only 
making  way  for  you  to  save  many  souls  alive.  How 
many,  to  whom,  in  the  daily  routine  of  business,  you 
have  access,  may  hear  messages  of  salvation  from  your 
lips,  who  probably,  in  no  other  way,  might  be   reached  ! 

Many,  whose  sordid  inclinations  have  led  them  to  be 
wholly  unmindful  of  a  better  inheritance,  and  whose 
absorption  in  acquiring  earthly  treasures  has  kept  them 
from  pious  associations,  may,  by  providential  orderings 
in  secular  affairs,  be  thrown  in  your  way.  M  Providence 
is  God  in  motion."  When  Providence  sends  a  man 
of  this  description  to  you,  may  you  not  regard  it  as  a 
voice  from  heaven,  assuring  you  that  God  intends  that 
you  improve  the  opportunity  of  his  acquaintance  in 
faithfulness  to  his  soul? 

BUSINESS  SUBSERVIENT  TO  SOUL-SAVING. 

I  have  often  thought  that  more  good  might  be  done 
by  a  faithful  Christian,  in  his  counting-room,  or  in  his 
shop,  by  making  all  his  business  transactions  subservient 
to  soul-saving,  than  is  accomplished  by  some  men  who 
confine  their  ministrations  to  the  pulpit.     You  will  not 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  ££7 

All  may  be  prophets.  Secular  calling  subservient  to  reUgious  aims. 

infer,  from  this,  that  I  undervalue  the  services  of  a 
faithful  ministry.  Doubtless,  many  more  would  be  en- 
gaged in  an  exclusive  calling  as  ambassadors  for  Christ 
if  the  principle  of  holiness,  in  its  experimental  work- 
ings, were  properly  developed  among  business  men.  But 
what  I  wish  to  say  is,  that  there  is  a  way  in  which  all 
the  Lord's  servants  may  be  prophets ;  a  way  by  which 
multitudes  ought  to  be  approached  with  the  teachings 
of  the  gospel,  which,  by  mere  pulpit  ministrations,  may 
not  be  reached.  Ministers,  however  good  and  faithful, 
cannot  do  the  work  of  the  private  Christians.  And  the 
more  earnest  and  devoted  a  minister  is,  the  more  dis- 
posed will  he  be  to  cry  out,  with  Moses,  "  Would 
God  that  all  the  Lord's  people  were  prophets!  " — "apt 
to  teach." 

The  object  of  Christ's  mission  to  earth  was,  to  save 
souls.  And  can  the  Christian  have  a  calling  which  may 
not,  in  its  first  aims,  include  this  ?  Not  to  ministers 
alone,  but  to  Christians  of  every  order,  does  Christ  say, 
"Ye  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  tiie 
world."  II  the  Christian  does  not,  to  the  observation 
of  the  world,  make  his  secular  calling  subservient  to  his 
holy  calling  as  a  Christian,  he  has  no  right  to  take  upon 
himself  the  Christian  name ;  for,  surely,  he  is  not  Christ- 
like. The  worldling  knows  that  the  Christian,  by  virtue 
of  his  profession,  ought  to  differ  greatly  from  the  mere 
secular  man ;  and,  though  he  may  sometimes  scoff,  yet 
his  conscience  approves  and  honors  that  man  who,  by 
earnest  outward  exhibitions,  proves  the  sincerity  of  his 
heart.     And,  though  he  may  not  feel  any  pain  inflicted 


228  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Real  and  apparent  opinions.  God's  golden  bait.  Preparation. 


by  a  reproving  conscience  while  in  the  company  of  that 
professor  whose  aims  in  life  appear  no  higher  than  his 
own,  yet,  in  heart,  he  chides  his  inconsistency,  and  says, 
'■'  What  do  ye  more  than  others  ?  " 

CHRISTIANS  IN  SEARCH  OF   GOLD. 

Formerly,  it  was  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  me  that  so 
many  professed  Christians  were  disposed  to  go  to  Cali- 
fornia. I  was  inclined  to  think  it  of  God.  I  knew  that 
the  silver  and  the  gold  were  his,  and  imagined  that  the 
discovery  of  such  vast  treasures  at  this  time  might  be 
designed  to  draw,  from  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  a 
mass  of  dark,  nnregenerated  spirits.  And  then  it 
seemed  only  like  our  God  to  draw  or  urge,  by  providen- 
tial indications,  those  to  this  place  whom  his  grace  had 
made  subjects  of  divine  illumination.  It  was  with  this 
design  I  thought  he  called  you,  and  several  others  of 
my  Christian  friends.  How  graciously  did  he  prepare 
you  to  go,  by  emptying  your  heart  of  earthly  love,  and 
fitting  it  up  for  his  indwelling  !  Jesus,  the  Savior  of 
sinners,  the  light  of  the  world,  then  came,  and  took 
possession ;  and  your  body  was  made  a  habitation  for 
God  through  the  Spirit.  The  specific  design  of  God,  in 
the  preparing  you,  was  not  that  you  might  make  gold 
your  first  object,  but  that  he  might,  through  you,  search 
out  souls  which  were  ready  to  perish  ;  that  the  light  he 
had  enkindled  in  your  soul  might  enlighten  many  a 
dark  mind  whom  the  light  of  life  might  not,  through 
other  means,  penetrate.  This,  my  brother,  is  the  spe- 
cific work  for  which  the  Lord  has  sent  you  to  Califor- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  229 


An  equivalent  for  exile  from  home.         Religion  first.         A  night  at  a  hotel. 


nia.  Should  you  snatch  one  soul  from  endless  burn- 
ings, which  might  not  be  otherwise  reached,  surely  you 
will  be  a  thousand-fold  repaid  for  your  exile  from  your 
dear  family  and  other  delightsome  associations.  Think 
of  Christ,  who  left  the  bosom  of  his  Father,  and  all  the 
blissful  associations  of  heaven,  for  the  one  and  only 
design  of  saving  sinners.  It  was  his  joy  to  do  the  will 
of  his  Father.  He  lived  not  to  please  himself.  Think 
then,  of  yourself,  as  a  worker  together  with  him  in  sav- 
ing sinners.  Yes,  this  is,  indeed,  the  holy  calling  of 
the  Christian,  and,  if  he  does  not  make  his  secular  call- 
ing subservient  to  it,  he  has  assumed  a  name  of  which 
he  is  not  worthy.  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be  added." 
Make  your  earthly  calling  subservient  to  your  heavenly 
calling,  and  trust  God  for  the  consequences. 


Wkt  IriM  prig. 


THE  WEDDING  TOUR. 


We  paused  over  night  at  a  hotel,  at  one  of  our  small- 
est cities,  within  twenty  miles  of  a  village  where  we 
anticipated  spending  a  few  days  in  laboring  to  save 
precious  souls.  Late  on  the  evening  of  our  arrival,  an 
interesting  bridal  party  entered  ;  they  were,  as  we  after- 


20 


230  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


All  things  to  all  men.  Affectionate  attentions.  A  question  of  expediency. 

wards  ascertained,  from  the  village  for  which  we  had  left 
our  remote  home.  The  party  consisted  of  two  grooms 
with  brides,  and  the  full  complement  of  bridal  attendants, 
making  eight  in  number. 

At  the  breakfast-table,  and  in  the  reception-room,  we 
met  these  interesting  young  friends.  Our  ideas  of  the 
demand  of  earnest  and  enlightened  piety,  do  not  debar 
us  from  efforts  to  please  our  young  friends,  where  we  may 
do  it  without  being  guilty  of  the  sin  of  foolish  talking  and 
jesting.  It  is  a  wise  and  pleasant  admonition  upon 
which  we  studiously  love  to  practise.  "All  things  to 
all  men,"  and  to  the  praise  of  God  it  is  due  to  say,  it  is 
not  unfrequently  in  this  way,  that  we  win  some. 

And  thus  it  was  in  this  case.  We  had  been  in  conver- 
sation but  a  short  time,  before  it  was  incidentally  ascer- 
tained that  I  was  the  person  whose  coming  had  been 
announced  in  their  pleasant  village  home,  and  from  which 
they  were  expecting  to  be  a  few  days  absent  on  their 
wedding  tour.  The  Lord  enabled  me  to  succeed  in 
gaining  their  affectionate  attentions.  To  go  farther  than 
this,  and  introduce  with  success  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion, to  an  irreligious,  gay,  bridal  party,  appeared 
almost  too  much  to  expect.  But  all  things  are  possible 
with  God,  and  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  belie veth. 
Greatly  did  my  heart  covet  these  lovely  young  friends 
for  Christ ;  and  I  trusted  in  the  Lord  for  skill  and  pow- 
er to  meet  the  emergency,  but  I  have  seldom  found  it 
more  difficult  to  exercise  faith  than  on  this  occasion. 

"  How  inconsistent,"  said  the  tempter,  "  to  ask  that  the 
attentions  of  this  bridal  party  should  be  arrested  to  the 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  231 

Trust  and  resolution.  The  new  year  and  a  new  heart.  Warning. 

subject  of  religion',  amid  the  hilarities  ordinary  on  such 
occasions !"  But  trusting  in  the  wisdom  and  omnipotence 
of  grace,  I  resolved  to  make  an  effort,  believing  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  would  speak  through  me.  It  was  now 
Friday,  and  the  ensuing  Sabbath  would  usher  in  the 
new  year.  Addressing  one  of  the  grooms-men  that 
sat  nearest  me,  I  softly  said, 

"  Would  it  not  be  a  glorious  thing  to  begin  the  new 
year  with  a  new  heart  ? 

He  manifested  some  embarrassment,  and,  after  a  little 
hesitation,  replied, 

"It  certainly  would." 

"  Have  you,  my  dear  young  friend,  given  your  heart 
to  the  Savior  ?  " 

"  I  have  not." 

"  You  know  that  heart  belongs  to  him.  He  has  long 
been  saying  to  you,  'My  son,  give  me  thy  heart.' 
Is  it  not  a  serious  thing  to  live  in  constant,  conscious 
disobedience  ?  Surely,  God  will  not  always  be  calling 
you.  He  is  calling  you,  just  now,  to  be  his  disciple  just 
as  much  as  he  ever  called  Matthew,  or  Peter.  If  they 
had  refused  to  come  just  when  he  called  them,  do  you 
think  he  would  have  called  either  of  them  again  ?  God 
has  said,  '  My  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with  man.' 
And,  if  you  continue  to  refuse,  while  you  know  God  is 
calling  you,  what  right  have  you  to  believe  that  yet 
another  and  another  call  will  be  given  ?  Year  after  year, 
has  God  spared  you,  and  this  year  the  sentence  may  have 
passed,  '  Thou  shalt  die.'  Though  so  near  the  close  of 
the  year,  many  will  yet  enter  the  eternal  world  before  it 


232  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  arrow.        Compelled  to  feel,  but  not  to  yield.        "Ah,  you  've  caught  it" 

closes.  You  may  be  of  the  number,  if  you  longer  con- 
tinue to  cumber  the  ground,  by  not  bearing  fruit  to  the 
glory  of  God.  O,  if  spared,  will  you  not  begin  the  new 
year  with  a  new  heart  ?  " 

The  arrow  of  conviction  penetrated  his  heart.  He 
was  moved,  and  acknowledged  his  duty ;  promised  to 
think  seriously,  but  did  not  fully  commit  himself  to 
begin  at  once.  I  told  him  that  it  was  my  intention  to 
keep  him  continually  in  the  arms  of  faith  and  prayer,  as 
in  the  more  immediate  presence  of  God,  during  the  day, 
assuring  him  that  the  Lord  would  answer  prayer  in 
re-speaking  these  things  to  his  heart.  And,  though  he 
would  not  compel  him  to  yield,  yet  he  would  compel 
him  to  feel. 

The  young  friend  with  whom  I  was  conversing,  was 
intelligent  and  gentlemanly,  and  evidently  had  a  marked 
respect  for  religion.  He  was  brother  to  one  of  the 
brides.  We  sat  a  little  aside,  conversing  in  a  low  tone, 
and,  though  it  was  not  my  intention  that  the  company 
should  hear  our  conversation,  as  I  did  not  want  the 
attention  of  our  young  friend  divided,  yet  it  was  not 
surprising  that  I  should,  now  and  then,  witness  the  mis- 
chievous glances  at  the  young  man,  which  seemed  to 
say,  "Ah,  you  have  caught  it !  " 

We  soon  parted,  the  bridal  company  to  make  prepara- 
tion for  their  tour  to  a  distant  city,  and  ourselves  to  go 
to  the  village,  about  twenty  miles  distant,  where  the 
nuptials  had  been  celebrated  in  the  village  church,  the 
evening  previous.  The  young  man  with  whom  I  had 
conversed,  seemed   to  be  the  leading  spirit  in  the  party, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  233 

An  awful  power.  Piety  and  cheerfulness.  Faith  that  removes  mountains. 


and  master  of  ceremonies.  Before  parting  with  him,  I 
affectionately  said,  "  Remember,  one  will  be  praying  for 
you,  during  the  day,  and,  in  answer  to  these  intercessions, 
Jesus,  your  Redeemer  and  Savior,  will  be  pleading  for 
you.  God  will  send  his  Holy  Spirit  to  your  heart.  And, 
when  you  feel  an  urging  to  set  out  to  seek  the  Lord 
with  all  your  heart,  you  may  know  that  it  is  the  Holy 
Spirit  operating  on  your  heart,  in  answer  to  prayer. 
You  may  turn  the  Spirit  away  ;  yes,  man  possesses  the 
awful  power  to  resist  the  Holy  Ghost.  But,  O,  let  it 
no  longer  be  said  of  you,  "  Ye  do  always  resist  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Yield  to  be  saved.  In  doing  this,  you  only 
yield  to  be  made  happy. 

M  Religion  never  was  designed 
To  make  our  pleasures  less !  " 

Religion  forbids  nothing  that  is  really  necessary  for 
our  enjoyment.  "  Godliness  is  profitable  to  all  things, 
having  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  that 
which  is  to  come."     We  parted. 

MARRIED  LIFE  COMMENCED   ARIGHT. 

During  the  day,  I  was  not  unmindful  of  my  promise. 
But  it  was  well  my  faith  was  not  bounded  by  human 
probabilities,  or,  surely,  it  would  have  failed.  The 
tempter  would  fain  have  forced  me  to  believe  that  it  was 
strangely  inconsistent  to  plead  for  the  speedy  conversion 
of  that  young  man.  But  the  Lord  enabled  me  to  exer- 
cise that  faith  which  removes  mountains.  O,  how  truly 
our  God  "  giveth  power  to  the  faint,"  and  ■"  to  them 

20* 


234  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  whole  company  encompassed.  The  hridal  party  detained. 

who  have  no  might,  he  increaseth  strength."  So  might- 
ily did  the  Spirit  help  my  infirmities,  that  my  faith 
encompassed  in  its  arms  the  entire  company.  In  pre- 
senting them  before  the  Lord,  I  felt  that  he  would  take 
them  in  his  own  hand  of  power,  and,  though  he  might 
not  irresistibly  compel  them  to  be  saved,  he  would 
mightily  arrest,  and,  to  the  degree  it  was  consistent  with 
the  economy  of  grace  to  constrain  the  human  will,  they 
would  be  constrained  to  yield. 

"  Who,  who  shall  in  his  presence  stand, 
Or  match  Omnipotence  ? 
Ungrasp  the  hold  of  his  right  hand, 
Or  pluck  the  sinner  thence?  " 

Our  God  can  call  things  that  are  not,  as  though  they 
were. 

"  He  everywhere  hath  way, 
And  all  things  serve  hi3  might." 

"  Providence  is  God  in  motion."  By  a  providence 
unlooked  for,  the  bridal  party  was  hindered  from  prose- 
cuting their  contemplated  journey.  One  of  the  newly 
married  gentlemen  being  a  lawyer,  he  found  a  matter 
of  business,  which  he  had  thought  trifling,  to  be  more 
serious  than  he  had  anticipated,  requiring  his  immediate 
attention  to  such  a  degree  as  to  detain  him.  With  the 
party  thus  broken,  the  other  portion  of  the  company 
were  unwilling  to  proceed.  The  next  day,  they 
returned  to  the  village,  and  a  part  of  them  came  to  the 
church  in  the  evening,  where  God  was  gloriously  mak- 
ing known  his  awakening  and  saving  power. 

The  succeeding  day,  bright,  and  beautiful,  ushered  in 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  £35 


Seventy  seekers.  Married  and  converted  at  the  same  altar. 

the  new  year.  It  was  also  the  blessed  Sabbath.  And, 
truly,  it  was  as  one  of  the  days  of  the  Son  of  man. 
Probably  not  less  than  seventy,  on  the  evening  of  that 
day,  manifested,  before  God,  men  and  angels,  their 
determination  to  "  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come." 
Among  these  were  several  of  the  bridal  party.  And 
here  our  young  friend,  the  groom's-man,  whom  we  had 
so  earnestly  importuned  to  begin  the  new  year  in  the 
service  of  God,  gave  his  heart  to  Christ.  He  was 
clearly  and  powerfully  converted.  And  so,  also,  was 
his  sister,  the  bride,  and  also  her  husband.  Only  three 
evenings  previous,  had  this  newly  married  pair,  before 
that  altar,  pledged  themselves  to  each  other,  and  now 
they  had  together  pledged  themselves  to  Christ 
Within  a  few  moments  of  each  other,  were  they  born 
into  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  enabled  to  rejoice  with 
"joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory."  O,  it  was  indeed 
a  lovely  sight  to  witness  these  newly  affianced  ones 
newly  affianced  to  Christ,  weeping  tears  of  joy  on  each 
other's  neck,  praising  the  Lord  in  the  ardors  of  their 
first  love !  Before  the  first  week  in  the  new  year  had 
passed,  nearly  all  that  bridal  party,  with  scores  of  othei  s, 
were  newly  begotten  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

"  I  must  love  on,  0  God ! 
This  bosom  must  love  on !  but  let  thy  breath 
Touch  and  make  pure  the  flame  that  knows  not  death, 
Bearing  it  up  to  heaven,  Love's  own  abode." 


236  IT,  LIT  8  Til  ATIONS      OF      THE 

Great  solicitude.  News  from  California.  "  It  is  the  Sabbath." 


►utu&ig  Jfltormnjg  $tm. 


The  affectionate   husband  of  my  friend,  Mrs.  S , 

having  gone  to  try  his  fortunes  in  California,  his  wife 
had  been  placed  in  circumstances  calculated  to  excite 
great  solicitude  in  his  behalf.  She  had  written  several 
times,  but  had  not  received  any  return."  The  cholera, 
raging  there  at  this  time,  raised  her  painful  apprehen- 
sions to  the  highest  point.  The  last  night  of  a  week  of 
untold  anxiety  closed  in  upon  her.  It  was  spent  in 
longing  and  solicitude,  such  as  the  heart  of  an  affection- 
ate wife  may  alone  conceive.  Sunday  morning  dawned, 
when,  on  a  sudden,  "News  from  California! — News 
from  California !  "  saluted  her  ear.  The  cry  was  just 
under  her  window.  Almost  involuntarily  she  flew  to 
the  window.  Her  hand  was  upon  it  to  raise  the  sash. 
The  prospect  of  speedily  receiving  the  intelligence  for 
which  she  had  waited  in  such  agonizing  suspense  seemed 
to  absorb  even  the  remembrance  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
day,  when  the  Spirit  whispered  gently,  "  It  is  the  Sab- 
bath." We  need  not  say  she  was  arrested,  for  her 
heart  was  not  only  affectionate,  but  it  was  also  under  the 
restraints  of  deep  piety.  Nature,  for  a  moment,  par- 
leyed ;  but  her  spirit,  in  the  resoluteness  of  earnest 
piety,  said,  "  Shall  I  do  this  thing,  and  sin  against 
God  ?  '  Grace  prevailed  ;  and,  as  she  turned  from  the 
window,  she  looked  to  see  what  the  God  of  all  consola- 
tion would  say  to  her  from  his  precious  Word,  when, 
lo  !  her  eye  rested  upon  these  words,  "  He  shall  not  be 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  237 

A  word  from  the  Book.  Rest.  Pain  of  imaginary  widowhood  escaped. 

afraid  of  evil  tidings ;  his  heart  is  fixed,  trusting  in  the 
Lord."  It  was  the  voice  of  her  compassionate  heav- 
enly Father,  and,  as  its  assuring,  soothing  tones  fell 
on  her  Spirit's  ear,  a  quietness  began  to  spread  itself 
over  and  possess  her  entire  being.  It  was  a  holy,  bliss- 
ful quiet,  befitting  the  sacred  day  upon  which  she 
had  entered.  O,  the  divinity  of  the  words  of  him  who 
spake  as  never  man  spake  !  How  omnipotent  in  raising 
up  the  bowed  down  !  Monday  morning  came,  and  with 
it  letters  were  received,  by  the  hands  of  different  indi- 
viduals, from  the  husband  of  Mrs.  S to  his  affection- 
ate wife.      Mr.  S stated  that  his  reason  for  writing 

by  several  different  conveyances  was  induced  by  his  great 

anxiety  that  some  one  of  these  might  reach  Mrs.  S 

before  she  saw  the  papers,  as  a  person  of  the  same  name 
as  himself  had  died  with  the  cholera  in  the  place 
where  he  was  residing.  Mrs.  S subsequently  pro- 
cured the  Sunday  Morning  News,  and  saw,  among  the 
announcements  of  death,  that  of  a  gentleman  residing  in 
the  same  place,  and  bearing  the  same  name  as  her  hus- 
band. Had  she  purchased  the  Sunday  Morning  News 
the  day  previous,  the  blissful  hours  of  the  Sabbath, 
instead  of  being  spent  in  holy  quiet,  would  have  been 
passed  in  the  agonies  of  imaginary  widowhood. 

u  My  God,  I  would  not  long  to  see 
My  fate,  with  curious  eyes  ; 
What  gloomy  fortunes  wait  for  me, 
Or  what  bright  scenes  may  rise 

Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err, 

And  scan  thy  work  in  vain  ; 
Thou  art  thy  own  interpreter, 

And  thou  shalt  make  it  plain." 


238  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Self-introduction.     Six  hundred  miles  to  a  camp  meeting.     Pardoned,  and  when. 


djjjmttfrM  m&  dJiatUd  to  §radt  in  ®ltm  iags. 


"  Did  I  not  see  you  on  the  camp  ground  at  East- 
ham  ?  "  inquired  a  fine,  open-countenanced  young  man, 
as  I  was  on  board  a  splendid  New  England  Steamer, 
making  my  way  to  New  York. 

"  You  probably  saw  me  there,  for  I  am  now  on  my 
return  from  the  meeting  held  at  Eastham." 

"  Well,  I   went  all  the  way  from  N ,  N.  Y.,  to 

the  Eastham  camp  meeting  to  obtain  religion.  I  saw  the 
notice  of  this  meeting  in  the  Christian  xldvocate  and 
Journal ;  and,  the  moment  I  saw  it,  I  thought  that 
would  be  a  good  place  for  me  to  go  for  that  purpose. 
Not  that  I  did  not  know  that  the  Lord  might  bless  me 
nearer  home ;  but  I  seemed  impressed  with  the  convic- 
tion that  I  had  better  go  there ;  so  I  cut  out  the  notice, 
and  put  it  in  my  pocket,  resolved  that,  when  the  time 
came,  I  would  go." 

You,  of  course,  obtained  what  you  went  for  ?  " 
O  yes !  I  immediately  set  about  it,  and  at  the  first 
prayer  meeting  before  the   preacher's   stand,  I  went  for- 
ward as  a   seeker,  and   publicly  confessed   my  sins.     I 
had  been  an  awful  sinner,  for   I    had   been  a  hypocrite. 
The  Lord  pardoned  me,  and  made  me  very  happy  in  his 
love,  as  soon  as  I  sought  him  with  all  my  heart." 
You  certainly  have  reason  to  be  very  thankful." 
Yes,  surely  I  have ;  for  not  only  has  the  Lord  par- 
doned my  sins,  but  he   has   blessed   me  much  since,  so 
that  I  now  feel  that  I  am  all  the  Lord's." 


(i 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  239 

Just  what  I  want.        Looked  as  though  he  enjoyed  it.        Could  n't  pi'each. 

"  I  praise  the  Lord  in  your  behalf,  and  feel  very 
much  interested  in  your  experience,  and  I  should  like 
to  have  you  tell  me  all  about  it." 

"Do  you  remember  of  speaking  one  day,  in  the 
Bethel  tent,  of  a  young  convert,  who  received  the  bles- 
sing of  holiness?  Well,  when  I  heard  it,  I  thought, 
that  is  just  what  I  need,  and  then  I  resolved,  in  the 
strength  of  the  Lord,  that  I  would  have  it.  After  the 
meeting  was  over,  I  thought  I  would  look  out  for  some 
one,  who  appeared  to  enjoy  the  blessing,  and  would  in- 
quire what  I  must  do  in  order  to  obtain  it.  I  soon  saw 
a  man,  whose  countenance  looked  as  though  he  enjoyed 
it,  and  I  asked,  if  he  could  tell  me  how  I  might  be 
wholly  sanctified." 

"  What  did  he  tell  you  ? " 

"  He  said  I  must  first  consecrate  myself  wholly,  and 
then  I  must  believe." 

"  What  then  ?  " 

"  I  then  went  oiF  by  myself  a  distance  in  the  grove, 
resolved  to  take  the  direction  I  had  received,  and  began 
to  consecrate  myself.  But  I  could  not  go  far  before  one 
great  duty  met  me,  and  to  get  all  on  the  altar,  without 
consenting  to  do  that  duty,  was  what  I  could  not  do." 

"  Would  you  have  any  objection  to  tell  me  what  that, 
one  great  duty  was  ?  " 

Here  the  young  man  manifested  a  momentary  embar- 
rassment, and  then  said, 

"  Why,  it  was  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  I  told  the 
Lord  I  could  not  yrreach.  I  said  it  was  not  in  me  to  do 
it,  I  was  ignorant  and  weak,  and    I  could  not  preach — I 


#40  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


The  dilemma.  Light  from  the  Bible.  Could  n't  believe  yet. 

knew  I  could  not.      But  there  was  the  duty  ;   consent  to 
preach  I  must,  or  I  could  not  go  a  step  farther." 

Here  he  paused,  as  if  he  thought  what  he  was  about 
to  say  might  go  beyond  my  belief,  and  then  resumed, 

"  Why,  I  really  believe  that  all  would  have  been 
over  with  me,  and  I  should  have  lost  my  justification, 
if  I  had  not  consented  to  preach,  for  I  could  not  go  one 
step  farther.  O,  how  I  felt !  and  there  I  struggled  ! 
God  saying  I  must  preach,  I  saying  I  could  not  preach. 

"  Just  then  I  took  up  my  Bible,  and  opened  it,  think- 
ing I  would  see  what  the  Lord  would  say  to  me,  and 
what  do  you  think  the  Lord  said  ?  Well,  it  was  this  : ' 
— he  then  repeated  verbatim, — "  "  For  you  see  your  call- 
ing, brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise  men  after  the 
flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called  ;  but 
God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  this  world  to  con- 
found the  wise  ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things 
of  the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty ; 
and  base  things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are 
despised,  hath  God  chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are 
not,  to  bring  to  nought  things  that  are  ;  that  no  flesh 
should  glory  in  his  presence.'  I  was  so  struck  that  I 
had  not  another  word  to  say,  and  I  gave  up  the  point,  and 
told  the  Lord  that  I  could  preach  and  would  preach, 
if  he  called  me  to  it." 

"  Were  you  enabled  then  to  believe  ?  " 

"  Not  quite  yet,  for  I  found  there  was  something 
more  to  get  upon  the  altar,  something  which  was  as  dear 
as  my  life,  and  the  struggle  was  even  greater  on  this 
point  than  the  other." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  241 


What  else  ?  The  dearest  object  resigned.  Body  and  soul  sanctified. 

Hardly  daring  to  venture  farther,  yet  greatly  desiring, 
for  my  own  instruction,  to  trace  the  way  of  the  Lord 
with  this  interesting  young  disciple,  I  ventured  yet  again 
to  say,  ' ( Would  you  have  any  objection  to  tell  me,  what 
this  yet  greater  thing  which  you  were  required  to  give 
up  was  ?  " 

"  Well,  it  was  this.  I  have,  for  some  time,  had  my 
affections  interested  in  a  young  lady.  Previous  to  my 
addressing  her  on  the  subject,  a  young  minister  had  been 
somewhat  attentive  to  her,  and  I  was  rather  apprehen- 
sive that  he  might  stand  in  my  way.  I  spoke  to  her  on 
the  subject,  but  she  said  she  would  never  marry  a  minis- 
ter. This  all  came  up  before  me,  and  I  saw  that  all 
would  not  be  on  the  altar,  till  she  was  given  up  also. 
The  struggle  was  hard,  but,  by  the  help  of  the  Lord,  I 
succeeded,  and  all  was  given  up." 

"Well,  then  you  were  enabled  to  believe?" 

"  Yes,  then  I  was  enabled  to  believe  God  did  receive 
me.  I  could  not  doubt,  for  there  was  the  puomisc  that 
God  would  receive  me,  if  I  gave  up  all.  I  dared  not 
doubt.  And  O,  such  a  change  !  Why,  I  felt  it  through 
my  body  as  well  as  my  soul.  I  knew  that  God  had 
sanctified  me  wholly." 

The  above,  reader,  is,  as  nearly  as  we  can  remember, 
the  substance  of  a  conversation  with  a  young  man  of 
fine  natural,  and  some  acquired  abilities.  It  shows  how 
rapid  the  processes  of  grace  may  be,  when  there  is 
promptness  in  yielding  to  the  monitions  of  the  Spirit, 
and  where  the  young  disciple  is  quickly  met  with  teach- 
ings, calculated  to   inspire  his  faith.     The   question   ia 


21 


212  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

The  question — answered.  Where  are  you  ?  Fruits  of  holiness. 

sometimes  asked,  "  Where  does  justification  end,  and 
sanctification  begin  ?  "  Let  such  carefully  ponder  the 
manner  of  the  Spirit's  leadings  with  this  young  convert, 
and  they  will  find  an  answer  to  the  inquiry.  God  had 
brought  his  ancient  people  up  to  the  borders  of.  the 
promised  land,  and  they,  looking  at  the  formidableness 
of  their  enemies,  and  their  own  weakness,  instead  of 
relying  on  the  promise  of  Almighty  aid,  refused  to  go 
forward,  and  were  consequently  condemned  for  their 
disobedience  and  unbelief.  As  they  would  not  go  for- 
ward, they  were  compelled  to  go  back.  Were  they 
justified  before  God  ?  Reader,  where  are  you  to-day  ? 
You  cannot  retain  a  state  of  justification,  if  you  are 
refusing  to  comply  with  the  command  of  God,  "Go 
forward."  If  there  is  some  great  duty  in  the  way  of 
your  entire  sanctification,  as  in  the  case  of  this  young 
man,  hasten  to  get  the  matter  settled  between  God  and 
your  soul,  or,  by  your  refusal,  you  will  lose  your  justi- 
fied state,  and  God  will  write  you  down  condemned, 
despite  of  all  your  fancied  ideas  of  justification.  You 
cannot  be  justified  and  condemned  at  the  same  time. 
It  involves  a  contradiction  of  terms. 

SUPPLEMENTARY- 

H  But  now,  being  made  free  from  sin,  and  become  servants  of  God,  ye  hare  your 
fruit  unto  holiness,  and  the  end  everlasting  life." — Romans  vi_  22. 

Since  writing  the  preceding,  the  writer  has  received 
a  letter  from  the  young  disciple  therein  referred  to.  It 
will  interest  the  reader  to  know  how  evidently  the 
fruits  of  holiness   are   being  brought  forth  in  his  case 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  ^43 

Ihity  to  young  converts      Relation  of  experience  profitable.    A  father  awakened. 

The  letter  has  just  been  received,  and  was  written  about 
four  weeks  subsequent  to  the  experience  we  have  related. 
Surely,  the  manifest  absorption  in  the  cause  of  Christ, 
the  holy  boldness,  and  the  maturity  of  faith  here  exhib 
ited,  are  sufficient  to  convince  the  church  of  the  utility, 
nay,  the  duty,  of  urging  young  converts  to  the  attainment 
of  present  and  entire  holiness.  Who  can  question  the 
expediency  of  relating  experience  on  this  subject,  when 
we  observe  the  effect  in  the  case  of  this  young  convert  ? 
It  was  the  recital  we  had  given  of  the  experience  of  this 
grace,  in  the  case  of  a  young  convert,  that  the  Lord 
made  use  of  in  inciting  this  young  man  to  seek  the 
blessing,  and  in  enabling  him  to  apprehend  that  it  was 
the  privilege  of  young  converts  to  be  holy.  And  yet 
some  have  been  so  mistaken  as  to  question  gravely  the 
expediency  of  encouraging  young  converts  to  expect  this 
attainment  early  in  their  heavenward  career,  and  have 
judged  the  profession  of  this  attainment  from  the  lips  of 
such,  injurious. 

In  the  letter  just  received,  our  young  friend  informs 
us,  that,  immediately  on  reaching  home,  he  told  his  pa- 
rents what  great  things  the  Lord  had  done  for  his  soul. 
His  father  was  an  unconverted  man,  and  had  not  been 
willing  to  be  addressed  about  his  eternal  interests.  But 
now  he  sat,  and  heard  his  son  talk,  all  the  afternoon, 
about  the  wonderful  transformations  grace  had  wrought. 
The  son,  since  the  Lord  had  translated  him  from  the 
kingdom  of  darkness,  had  been  much  in  prayer  for  the 
awakening  of  his  father,  and  now  he  says,  "  I  saw  how 
the  Lord  had  been  answering  my  prayer."  When  evening 


244  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF     THE 


Family  worship.        Father  converted.        Increasing  faith.        Mother  convert*  4. 


came,  the  son  pToposed  having  family  worship.     So  fai 
had  grace  prepared  the    way,  that  the  father  quickly 
assented.     And  now  the  affectionate  son,  in  the  strong 
arms  of  faith,  brought  his  father  to  the  feet  of  Jesus. 
"  I  prayed,"  says  he  "  for  my  father's  awakening,  and 
the  Lord  heard  and  answered.     I  then  explained  to  him 
the  nature  of  a  change  of  heart,  and  prayed  for  his  con- 
version,  and,    glory    be    to    God !    he    has    since    been 
converted.     My  mother,  I  had  thought,  knew  something 
about  religion;    but,   when    I   began  to    tell    her    my 
experience,  she   said,  she   did  not   enjoy   religion ;  her 
religion  had  been  nothing  more  than  morality.     I  asked 
her  if  she  was  willing  the  Lord  should  give  it  to  her 
any  way  he  saw  fit,  and  she  said,  Yes !     Then,  said   I, 
mother,   you    shall    have    it."     The    son    then  knelt 
down  beside  his  dear  mother  in  prayer,  and   greatly  did 
the  Lord  strengthen  his  faith,  as  he  brought  her,  also, 
in  mighty  prayer,  to  the  foot  of  the  cross.     Believing 
that  he  had  received  the  thing  he  had  asked,  he  arose, 
strong  in  faith.     On   rising    from    prayer,    his    mother 
expressed  herself  as  not  feeling  as  clear  as  she  could  wish ; 
but   so   confident  was  he  that  his   prayer  had  brought 
virtue  from  Jesus  in  her  behalf,  that  he,  with  an  assured 
faith,  told  her  that  she  would  feel  better  soon ;  she  had 
only  to  keep  trusting  in  the  Lord,  expecting  the  evi- 
dence, and  it  would  be  given.     So  sure  was  he  of  this, 
that  he   left  the  room,  and  retired  up  stairs,  when,  not 
long   after,   his   mother  called    him,   exclaiming,  "  The 
Lord  has  cast  all  my  sins  behind  his  back."     The  mother 
expressed   her  amazement,  but  her  son  assured  her,  that 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  £45 

Prepares  for  the  ministry.  How  a  book  of  Acts  might  again  le  written. 

he  did  not  think  it  at  all  strange,  for  she  might  have 
had  the  evidence  sooner,  if  she  had  only  believed,  as 
soon  as  the  Lord  wanted  her  to.  He  closes  up  his 
interesting  letter,  by  saying,  "  O  praise  the  Lord,  he  is 
doing  such  a  great  work  here.  *  *  *  *  I  am  making 
preparation  for  the  ministry  as  fast  as  I  can."  He 
speaks  of  entering  an  institution  shortly,  where  the 
facilities  for  study  may  be  favorable  ;  says  the  brethren 
are  calling  him  to  exhort,  and  the  Lord  gives  him  man- 
ner and  matter,  and  he  is  trying  to  live  in  the  discharge 
of  every  duty,  and  the  Lord  blesses  him  beyond  all  he 
can  ask  or  think. 

What  a  work  of  the  spirit  do  we  here  behold,  in  one 
so  recently  converted  !  No  wonder  that  the  adversary 
has  taken  pains  to  persuade  us,  that  converts  so  young 
in  experience,  should  not  be  taught  to  expect  the  bless- 
ing of  entire  sanctification,  and  that  the  professions  of 
those  who  believe  they  have  so  attained  are  calculated  to 
exert  a  dissuasive  influence. 

Tremendous,  indeed,  would  be  the  inroads  on  Satan's 
kingdom,  should  a  Christianity,  marked  by  these  rapid 
and  scriptural  processes,  prevail.  This  is  the  Christi- 
anity that  was  exhibited  in  the  lives  of  the  apostles. 
How  soon  might  a  book  of  acts,  similar  to  the  acts  op 
the  apostles,  be  written,  giving  a  history  of  the  modern 
achievements  of  Christianity,  which  might  compare  with 
those  of  an  earlier  period,  if  its  entire  renovations  and 
power,  were  thus  early  and  earnestly  exhibited,  in  the 
lives  of  its  professors ! 


21* 


£46  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  greater  sin  than  robbery.  Erring,  but  not  wholly  insincere. 

u  1  DO  not  sell  liquor  to  inebriates,  or  any  thing  of 
that  sort ;  but,  for  travellers,  as  they  pass  on  their  way, 
it  seems  necessary  to  keep  a  little  on  hand." 

Said  the  lady  addressed,  "  I  have  a  son — an  only  son. 
From  his  earliest  existence  he  has  been  set  apart  for  the 
service  of  God.  In  view  of  his  early  dedication,  I  ex- 
pect that  the  Lord  will  employ  him  for  eminent  useful- 
ness. I  am  training  him  in  view  of  this.  Should  you 
give  that  dear  boy  the  first  drop  which  might  eventuate 
in  his  contracting  a  taste  for  the  intoxicating  cup,  I 
should  feel  that  you  had  wronged  me  more  than  if  you 
had  taken  millions  from  my  purse." 

It  was  about  thus,  that  a  deeply  interesting  interview 
was  commenced  with  a  gentleman  who  kept  a  house  for 
public  entertainment  in  the  village  of .  This  gentle- 
man, though  erring,  was  not  wholly  insincere  ;  perhaps 
not  intentionally  so  in  any  degree.  He  had  been,  for 
some  time,  in  a  state  of  great  religious  desire  and  per- 
plexity. He  had  applied  to  the  lady  for  pious  counsel. 
Had  he  been  really  insincere,  he  would  not  have  sought 
the  sympathy  of  those  whom  he  believed  to  be  truly  pious. 
He  knew  that  there  was  joy  in  salvation,  and  he  want- 
ed to  be  made  a  partaker  of  that  joy,  without  making 
the  necessary  sacrifice.  As  a  redeemed  sinner,  he  knew 
it  was  his  duty  to  give  himself  up  to  his  Redeemer,  and 
he  had  tried  to  do  so.  Yes,  he  had  actually  made  the 
offer  of  himself  to  God.     But  still   darkness   and  per- 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  £47 


Obedience,  not  tears.        Earnest  and  persevering  offerers  rejected.         Unbelief. 


plexity  prevailed ;  he  could  not  believe  that  God  ac- 
cepted his  offering.  And  in  this  attitude  he  had  remained 
several  days,  still  presenting  the  offering,  and  still  sadly 
conscious  that  it  was  not  accepted.  Could  tears  have 
induced  the  acceptance  of  his  offering,  tears  were  not 
wanting. 

"  God  will  not  accept  imperfect  sacrifices,"  said  the 
lady.  "  There  were  those,  in  the  days  of  the  prophet 
Malachi,  who  brought  their  sacrifices  to  God,  and  great 
ly  desired  that  he  would  accept  them.  These  offerers 
were  earnest,  persevering,  and  even  tearful,  in  their  en- 
treaties. It  was  said  of  them,  l  And  this  ye  have  done, 
covering  the  altar  of  the  Lord  with  tears,  with  weeping 
and  crying  out,  insomuch  that  he  regardeth  not  the 
offering  any  more.  Ye  have  wearied  the  Lord  with 
your  words.'  And  thus  they  waited  long  in  earnest- 
ness, and  in  the  sadness  of  unfulfilled  desire.  Why 
did  God  not  accept  the  sacrifices  of  these  offerers  ?  Let 
him  answer  for  himself.  l  Because  ye  offer  the  lame, 
and  the  torn,  and  the  sick.'  i  Ye  offer  polluted  bread 
upon  my  altar.'  f  Cursed  be  the  deceiver  which  voweth 
and  sacrificeth  unto  the  Lord  a  corrupt  thing.'  These 
offerers  could  not  have  believed  that  God  accepted  their 
offering.  Had  they  made  an  effort  to  believe,  they 
would  have  made  an  effort  to  "  believe  a  lie,"  for  God  had 
declared  that  he  would  not  accept  such  sacrifices.  They 
could  not  believe,  neither  can  you  believe  that  God  will 
accept  your  sacrifice.  Unless  you  confess  and  forsake 
your  sin,  you  can  have  no  foundation  for  your  faith ; 
for  the  promise  of  mercy  is  only  to  those  who  confess 
and  forsake." 


24:8  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Conscience  and  the  regulator.  Fearful  symptoms.  The  crisis. 

* — ™ »  ■ 

"  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  felt  any  particular  condem- 
nation in  view  of  this  matter.  I  am  careful  how  I  sell, 
and  to  whom,  making  it  a  point  never  to  deal  out  to 
those  who  are  in  the  habit  of  intoxication." 

Said  the  lady,  "  How  is  conscience  to  be  regulated 
but  by  the  word  of  God?  You  know  that  the  word 
of  God  condemns  you.  You  certainly  do  not  need  any 
direct  revelation  from  heaven  to  convict  you  of  sin  in 
this  matter.  Through  the  Bible,  God  is  as  directly 
speaking  to  you  now,  as  though  he  were  audibly 
addressing  you  from  his  throne  in  heaven.  There  is 
awful  danger  of  having  the  conscience  seared.  If  you 
do  not  feel,  you  have  reason  to  fear  that  you  have 
already  too  long  resisted.  Resist  no  longer,  or  God 
may  give  you  up  to  your  delusion,  and  you  be  left  to 
believe  a  lie  because  you  have  pleasure  in  unrighteous- 
ness. 

The  gentleman  said  something  by  way  of  extenua- 
tion, expressive  of  a  hope  that  his  case  was  not  so  des- 
perate as  might  be  inferred  from  the  suggestions  of  the 
lady. 

A  moment's  pause  ensued,  when  the  lady,  feeling 
that  a  period  of  infinite  moment  in  the  career  of  that 
gentleman  had  come, — that  a  decision  was  now  to  be 
made  which  would  be  eternal  in  its  bearings  for  good  or 

evil, —  solemnly  said,  "  Mr.  ,  let  me  say,  as  in  the 

presence  of  God,  a  crisis  in  your  history  has  come.  I 
believe,  if  you  ever  sell  another  drop  of  liquor,  or  permit 
another  drop  to  be  sold  through  your  influence,  that  you 
will  be  a  lost  spirit,  and  will  soon  meet  the  victims  of 
your  traffic  in  the  lower  regions  !  " 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  24  P 


Blood-guiltiness  feared         Compassionate  severity         Pause.  Tea  decision. 


A  loved  and  honored  circle  were  sitting  around,  and 
each  one  seemed  struck  with  amazement  at  the  unex- 
pected and  seeming  severity.  The  fact  is,  she  had  fixed 
her  eye  on  eternity.  She  knew  that  this  deathless 
spirit,  with  whom  she  had  this  day  for  the  first  time 
met,  she  would  again  meet  at  the  bar  of  God,  and  she 
feared  that  the  blood  of  his  soul  might  be  found  on  her 
skirts,  did  she  not  faithfully  declare  the  whole  counsel 
of  God.  And  though  seemingly  severe,  her  heart 
yearned  in  pity  over  him,  knowing  that  he  had  been 
blinded  by  the  god  of  this  world,  and  could  not  now 
see  afar  off.  She  had  learned  to  call  no  man  master 
when  eternal  interests  were  at  stake,  but,  thinking  that 
she  might  have  incurred  the  censure  of  that  dear  circle, 
by  her  plainness  of  speech,  she  sat  in  silence,  trusting  in 
God  to  make  her  words  effectual.  A  solemn  and 
almost  unbroken  pause  succeeded,  until  supper  was 
announced,  when,  in  an  under  tone,  the  dealer  in 
liquor  said  to  the  gentleman  of  the  house,  "  We  have 
come  to  close  quarters  here."  The  spirit  of  the  lady, 
who  had  brought  him  into  these  close  quarters,  was  too 
tender  not  to  feel  for  one  on  whom  she  had  inflicted 
such  a  wound,  and  she  said  but  little  until  after  supper, 
when  she  again  affectionately  approached  him,  and  softly 

said,    "  Mr. ,  how  does  this  matter  stand  in  your 

mind  now  ?  " 

"  Never  to  sell  another  droj) !  "  he  exclaimed. 

It  was  a  Christian  circle,  and  a  season  for  social  con- 
verse and  prayer  was  proposed.  During  this  season,  a 
young    man,   who    had    accompanied   Mr. to   that 


250  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Joyful  surprise.  Could  not  sleep.  Brandy  in  the  turnpike. 

pious  dwelling,  was  enabled  to  give  himself  wholly  up 
to  Christ,  and  rejoice  in  conscious  acceptance. 

•   While  this  was  going  on,  Mr. manifested  much 

emotion,  when,  turning  to  him,  she  said,  "  How  is  it  with 

you  now,  Mr. ?  ,;     With  joyful  surprise  he  sobbed 

out,  "  O  !  I  believe  I  am  now  accepted  !  "  What  was 
the  bliss  of  that  waiting  company  on  hearing  that 
announcement,  especially  of  that  faithful  friend  who 
had  dared  to  wound  deeply,  that  Christ  might  heal 
thoroughly ! 

It   was    Sabbath    evening.      Mr. ,    on  his    way 

home,  engaged  his  young  friend  to  assist  him  on  the 
succeeding  morning,  in  taking  out  his  casks  of  brandies, 
etc.  He  retired  to  his  pillow,  but  he  could  not  sleep. 
The  clock  struck  twelve,  and  the  sacred  hours  of  the 
Sabbath  being  passed,  he  hastened  to  the  room  of  his 
young  friend,  and  said,  "  I  cannot  sleep  till  those  casks 
are  removed ;  will  you  assist  me  in  taking  them  out  into 
the  turnpike  road  ?  '  "  Bless  the  Lord,  I  will,"  replied 
his  zealous  friend.  There,  at  midnight,  unseen  but  by  the 
eye  of  those  invisible  beholders,  who  rejoice  over  one 
sinner  who  repenteth,  the  bungs  were  drawn,  and  the 
contents  of  those  casks,  containing  moral  and  physical 
poison,  flowed  in  copious  streams  down  the  turnpike. 
The  next  day,  the  streams  of  salvation  began  to  flow  out 
upon  his  family.  Both  his  wife  and  daughter  were 
enabled  to  rejoice  in  Christ  as  their  full  Savior.  "  I 
have  a  new  husband !  "  said  the  happy  wife  the  next 
day,  as  this  now  happy  husband  took  her  to  revisit  that 
dear  Christian  circle.     And  how  many  husbands  might 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  251 


A  new  husband.  Merciful  expedients.  An  impression  neglected. 

be  made  all  new,  and  how  many  families  might  know 
the  joys  of  salvation,  if  the  father  and  husband  would 
alike  resolve  not  to  touch,  taste  or  handle  the  unclean 
thing ! 


I  ■»! 


dtod's  40mtmrnmjgs, 


" For  God  speaketh  once,  yea,  twice ;  yet  man  perceiveth  it  not!  " — Job  xxxra.  14. 

God's  throne  will  be  guiltless.  It  is  his  will  that  all 
should  be  warned.  But,  in  the  case  of  every  sinner, 
the  last  warning  will  come.  It  is  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
gives  the  call,  but  his  operations  are  diversified.  Some 
are  called  by  dreams  and  visions  of  the  night ;  others, 
by  various  painful  providences,  personal  and  family  af- 
flictions, loss  of  property,  death  of  friends.  The  cases 
of  some  are  specially  laid  on  the  minds  of  pious  friends, 
involving  large  responsibilities  on  the  part  of  Christians, 
in  view  of  a  most  minute  attention  to  impressions. 
Here  is  an  instance.  My  friend,  not  long  since,  said  to 
me,  "  An  impression  came  on  my  mind  to  go  and  see 
the  husband  of  one  of  my  class  members.  I  was  unac- 
quainted, and  I  thought  how  singular  it  would  appear 
to  go  unasked,  and  obtrude  myself  on  his  attentions.  T 
did  not  obey  the  impression,  and,  in  a  day  or  two  after- 


252  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

Sudden  death.  Are  you  restive  ?  The  midnight  call. 

wards,  received  word  from  his  afflicted  wife  that  he  had 
fallen  down  suddenly,  and  expired  without  a  moment's 
warning."  Did  not  God  intend  that  that  individual 
should  have  had  one  more  call  And  who  knows  but 
that  call  might  have  saved  that  soul  from  death  ?  If  so, 
of  whom  may  his  blood  be  required  ?  Let  me  ask,  do 
you  observe  all  those  gentle  urgings  which  are,  from  time 
to  time,  made  on  your  mind  thus  by  the  direct  agency 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  Or  are  you  restive,  and  is  it  need- 
ful that  you  be  managed  with  bit  and  bridle  ?  If  so, 
beware,  or  you  may,  as  in  the  case  of  our  friend,  be 
chargeable  with  blood-guiltiness.  Let  me  tell  you  of 
some  instances  of  very  marked  forewarning  which  have 
recently  come  under  my  own  observation  in  the  case  of 
three  young  men. 

PROVIDENTIAL  ADMONITIONS  DISREGARDED. 

On  Saturday  evening,  about  twilight,  my  husband 
was  hurried  away  to  see  a  lady,  about  half  a  mile  dis- 
tant from  our  home.  On  entering  her  residence,  he 
found  her  wholly  beyond  the  skill  of  any,  save  him  who 
raised  Lazarus.  While  eating  her  supper,  she  had 
fallen  suddenly  back,  and  expired.  A  few  hours  later, 
at  the  solemn  midnight  hour,  we  were  su  ^.denly  roused 
by  the  announcement  that  a  gentleman,  residing  not  far 
distant,  had  fainted.  My  husband,  on  reaching  the 
object  of  his  call,  found  him  reclining  on  the  sofa,  but 
the  angel  of  death  had  come  stealthilv,  and  had  noiseless- 
ly borne  his  spirit  to  the  eternal  world.  He  had  spent 
the  evening  in   listening  to  a  philosophical   lecture,  and 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  °Zb?> 

Not  in  a  swoon,  but  dead.  Pastor's  call.  Three  profane  young  men. 

had  invited  his  friend  to  go  and  hear  the  Rev.  Mr. 


at  the  Universalist  Church,  on  the  next  morning.  He 
had  affectionately  desired  his  wife  to  retire  an  hour  01 
two  previous,  saying  he  had  a  little  matter  he  wished  to  at- 
tend to,  and  would  shortly  follow.  She  fell  asleep.  On 
waking,  about  the  dead  of  night,  and  finding  her  husband 
was  not  by  her  side,  she  called,  but  received  no  answer. 
On  reaching  him,  she  imagined  he  had  fainted  ;  but  his 
spirit  had  departed. 

On  Sabbath  morning,  our  pastor  called  at  an  early 
hour,  and  breakfasted  with  us.  I  mentioned  death's  ur- 
looked-for  doings  of  the  night  before,  and  our  belo\c  L 
pastor,  with  ourselves,  felt  that  the  living  ought  to 
be  admonished. 

It  was  a  season  of  some  religious  interest  at  the  church 
we  attended,  and,  after  our  pastor  had  delivered  a  faith- 
ful discourse,  he  asked  my  husband  if  he  would  exhort, 
and  make  some  reference  to  the  solemn  instances  of 
mortality  he  had  witnessed  the  preceding  night.  My 
husband  did  so.  During  his  solemn  appeal  to  those  who 
were  unprepared  to  meet  God,  three  young  men  hasten- 
ed out  of  the  house,  with  noisy  steps,  and  an  excited  man- 
ner. "  This  is  the  way  the  Methodists  are  always  trying 
to  frighten  the  people,"  said  they,  in  angry  tone,  as  they 
hurriedly  left  the  house  of  the  Lord.  It  proved  to 
be  the  last  time  for  two  of  these  profane  young  men. 
The  next  morning,  at  an  early  hour,  they  were  all  three 
at  a  large  establishment  in  Hague  street,  when  the  steam 
boiler  in  the  lower  part  of  the  building  exploded,  and 

a   large    number   of   human   beings    were  blown    into 

22 


£54  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Blown  into  mid-air.  The  smallest  hospitalities  rewarded. 

mid-air,  and  some  to  an  almost  incredible  distance, 
while  others  were  buried  in  the  ruins.  Two  of  these 
young  men  perished.  One  only  of  the  three  was  left, 
and  he  was  dug  out  of  the  ruins.  He  now  says,  he 
means  to  give  his  heart  to  God.  The  Lord  only  knows 
whether  he  will  keep  his  promise. 


Hl>l 


%  (fytp  4  (fold  Wafer. 


THE  TRAVELLER  ENTERTAINED. 

The  Lord  has  never  disappointed  my  faith.  Such  a 
thing  cannot  be  as  that  one  who  trusts  in  the  Lord 
should  be  confounded.  But  there  are  some  things  in 
which  I  have  received  very  marked  answers  to  my  faith, 
and  this  is  one.  The  Savior  said,  "A  cup  of  cold  water, 
given  to  a  disciple  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,  shall  not 
lose  its  reward."  I  know  it  would  interest  you,  if  I 
could  narrate  the  many  circumstances  under  which  I 
have  proved  this  strikingly  true.  I  shall  have  time  to 
give  but  one  or  two  instances  out  of  scores.  Here  is 
one :  I  was  travelling  from  Baltimore  to  New  York ; 
and  made  arrangements  to  pause  at  M.  H.,  to  see  a  dear 
friend.  Dr.  P.  being  unable  to  accompany  me,  other 
friends  accompanied  me  as  far  as  P.,  leaving  me  about 
twenty  miles  to   go  by  railroad,  and  nine  by  stage.     It 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  255 

A  benighted  traveller.  The  parsonage  not  a  hotel.  A  discouraged  minister 

was  near  night  when  I  arrived  at  B.,  where  I  was  to 
take  the  stage.  I  found  the  stage  gone,  and,  therefore, 
had  no  alternative  but  to  go  and  remain  over  night,  at 
the  house  of  the  minister  residing  in  the  place,  with 
whom  I  had  some  acquaintance,  or  at  a  public  hotel.  It 
was  always  against  my  views  of  propriety,  and  repug- 
nant to  my  natural  feelings,  to  make  a  minister's  house 
a  matter  of  convenience,  amid  the  multiplicity  of  caies 
of  a  minister's  family  ;  and,  to  go  to  a  hotel  without  my 
husband  to  accompany  me,  I  feared,  might  not  be  one  of 
the  ways  of  the  Lord  ;  for  God  only  promised  to  keep  us 
in  all  his  ways,  not  out  of  his  ways.  Perhaps,  in  this, 
the  Lord  intended  to  test  my  naturally  independent 
spirit,  in  order  that  it  might  be  proved,  that  all  was  un- 
der the  reign  of  grace.  I  called  at  the  parsonage,  and 
the  Lord  had  prepared  the  way  before  me,  as  the  friends 
seemed  to  feel  themselves  much  obliged  by  my  coming ; 
the  minister's  wife,  especially.  I  found  all  athirst  for 
inward  purity.  The  minister  was  much  discouraged ; 
said  the  place  was  the  hardest  ground  he  had  ever  work- 
ed on.  He  was  now  coming  toward  the  close  of  his 
second  year,  and  had  had  no  revival,  and  asked  me  if 
I  would  not  return  on  a  quarterly  occasion,  about  four 
weeks  from  that  time,  and  labor  with  his  people.  Ear- 
nestly did  I  plead  with  the  Lord,  that  the  cup  of  cold 
water,  "  given  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,"  might  not  lose 
its  reward.  The  duty  of  returning  at  the  expiration  of 
four  weeks  was  urged  on  my  mind,  and  I  promised,  if 
the  Lord  would  open  my  way,  I  would  do  so.  I  found 
my  way  remarkably  opened,  and  went.     It   was  pro- 


£56  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Two  meetings  a  day.  Large  congregation.  Fifty  seekers  of  purity. 


posed,  on  Monday,  that  we  should  have  afternoon  meet- 
ings, especially  for  the  church,  and  evening  meetings, 
in  view  of  the  awakening  and  conversion  of  sinners. 
Both  the  minister  and  his  wife  thought  it  utterly  in  vain 
to  attempt  to  hold  afternoon  meetings,  in  consequence  of 
the  deadness  of  the  church.  I  said  we  would  go  out 
and  invite  them  personally.  They  said  it  would  do  no 
good ;  they  knew  not  one  that  would  be  likely  to  ac- 
cept the  invitation. 

In  answer  to  my  solicitations,  a  meeting  was  announc- 
ed on  Monday  evening  for  the  next  afternoon,  when,  lo ! 
the  body  of  the  church  was  nearly  full.  We  spoke  of 
the  necessity  of  entire  sanctification  ;  that  it  was  not  left 
optional  with  God's  redeemed  people,  whether  they  will 
be  holy ;  the  command  is  absolute,  "  Be  ye  holy." 

It  is  due  to  the  grace  of  God  to  say,  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  accompanied  God's  truth  with  an  irresistible 
unction.  We  did  not  soften  down  the  truth,  but  felt 
that  we  had  a  commission  to  declare  the  whole  counsel 
of  God,  "whether  the  people  would  hear  or  forbear." 
We  then  stated  the  terms  upon  which  God  promises  to 
sanctify  wholly,  and,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  solemnly 
asked,  who,  of  that  company,  would  comply  with  the 
conditions,  and  set  themselves  apart  to  get  the  blessing  ? 
It  was  estimated  that  about  fifty  rose  to  acknowledge,  be- 
fore men  and  angels,  that  they  would  resolve,  then  and 
there,  to  comply  with  the  conditions  upon  which  God 
has  promised  to  sanctify  wholly.  From  that  hour  the 
work  of  the  Lord  went  on  with  power.  That  evening, 
and  each  succeeding  meeting  during  the  week-,  the  power 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  £57 


Thirty  witnessee.  A  singular  circumstance.  A  hospitable  family. 


of  God  was  eminently  present  to  awaken  the  sinner ;  to 
justify  the  seeker,  and  to  sanctify  the  believer.  Before 
the  close  of  the  week,  about  thirty  were  newly  raised 
up  to  testify  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth.  And 
such  clear  and  consistent  witnesses,  I  have  seldom  seen. 
I  believe  there  was  not  one  witness  of  this  grace  at  the 
commencement  of  the  week.  And  what  to  me  seemed 
a  singular  feature  in  the  dispensation  of  grace  was,  that 
the  most  of  these  who  received  the  sanctifying  seal  were 
official  members,  trustees  of  the  church,  class  leaders, 
etc., — not  one  female,  that  I  can  remember.  Between 
thirty  and  forty,  I  think,  professed  conversion,  and  still 
the  work  was  going  on  when  I  left.  Did  not  the 
Lord  permit  this  minister  to  see  the  reward  for  the  cup 
of  cold  water  ? 

THE  GENEROUS  HOSTESS  REWARDED. 

Seldom  have  we  visited  a  family  but  the  Lord  has 
indulged  us  in  seeing  the  reward,  either  in  the  conver- 
sion of  children,  or  the  sanctification  of  parents.  I 
might  enlarge  and  fill  sheets.  But  I  must  not ;  I  will 
give  you  one  more  incident  out  of  many,  which  occurred 
but  a  short  time  since.  We  w^re  at  a  camp  meeting, 
and  slept  and  breakfasted  off  the  ground  with  an  admi- 
rable family  who  were  given  to  hospitality.  Nature  had 
made  the  lady  one  of  the  more  noble  of  her  daughters, 
— noble  in  person,  in  habits,  and  in  the  refinements  of 
grace.  She  was  deeply  interested  in  regard  to  the  at- 
tainment  of  the   witness   of  holiness ;  but  so  incessant 

were  her  assiduities  in  attending  to  hospitalities  at  their 

22* 


258  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

An  ancientordinance  perpetuated.        The  hostess'  adieu.         The  divine  reward. 

family  tent  on  the  camp  ground,  and  at  their  mansion  off 
the  ground,  that  I  could  get  but  little  opportunity  to 
converse  with  her.  She  seemed  to  get  but  little  time  to 
concentrate  her  mind  prayerfully  on  the  attainment  of 
any  object ;  but,  O,  how  my  soul  desired,  in  her  behalf, 
the  entire  sanctification  of  her  soul,  body  and  spirit! 
I  remembered  that  it  was  an  ordinance  in  Israel  that  was 
to  abide  forever,  that  those  who  staid  by  the  staff  were 
to  share  equally  with  those  who  went  out  to  battle,  and 
I  felt  that  it  could  not  be  in  the  order  of  God  that  her 
necessary  much  serving  should  prevent  her  from  receiv- 
ing a  rich,  spiritual  blessing,  which  might  be  an  inheri- 
tance as  enduring  as  eternity.  And  this  I  asked  in  her 
behalf.  The  last  night  came,  and  we  were  about  to 
commence  a  meeting  in  a  neighboring  tent.  The  people 
were  crowding  in,  and  the  rain  was  falling  fast.  The 
dear  Christian  lady,  whose  hospitalities  we  had  shared, 
also  came  in,  and  affectionately  extended  her  hand  to 
say,  farewell !  How  I  longed  that  I  might  see  the  cup 
of  cold  water  rewarded !  I  still  retained  her  hand,  and 
asked,  in  faith,  that  it  might  be  now.  While  present- 
ing her  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant, 
telling  her  that  the  blessing  of  entire  holiness  had  been 
purchased,  and  already  belonged  to  her  by  the  right  of 
purchase,  and  all  she  had  to  do  was  to  claim  the 
promised  grace — taking  God  at  his  word,  the  Holy 
Spirit  spoke  through  the  humble  instrument  to  her  in- 
most heart.  She  believed,  and  entered  into  rest.  But 
what  a  rest !  Who  can  portray  it  o£  paper  ?  I  still 
held  her   hand,  as   she  stood  before   me,   unconscious, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  2/3!) 

A  weight  of  glory.  The  dressing-room.  The  introduction. 

apparently,  of  every  thing  but  the  glory  upon  which  she 
had  entered.  But  the  visions  of  glory  were  too  much 
for  the  body  to  endure.  She  gradually  began  to  sink — 
sink  away — till  her  tall,  dignified  form  lay  completely 
prostrate,  and  it  was  near  half  an  hour  before  she  was 
able  to  rise.  The  reward  for  the  cup  of  water  came 
late  in  the  process  of  the  meeting,  but  O,  how  refresh- 
ing and  glorious  were  its  inspirations  !     Alleluia  ! 


■  *i»i 


g  $ftcft  f  oar  <$Y\m&. 


I  have  some  rich  poor  friends,  and  some  poor  rich 
friends.  If  it  will  not  annoy  you,  I  will  introduce  you 
to  one  of  each  class,  and  then  ask  you  to  tell  me  whose 
acquaintance  you  prize  the  highest.  Time,  you  know, 
is  only  the  dressing-room  for  eternity,  and  we  form 
friendships  here,  in  view  of  perpetuating  them  in  heaven. 
I  will  introduce  you  to  my  friends,  and  then  tell  me 
which  you  will  take  most  closely  to  the  fellowship  of 
your  heart. 

Here  is  my  friend  Mr. .     He  has  accumulated  a 

fine  property,  so  that  he  is  now  quite  able  to  move 
away  from  his  snug  house,  and  the  friends  that  would 
remind  him  of  his  former  ordinary  estate.  His  name 
is  on  the  register  of  a  Christian  church,  but  so  engross- 


£60  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  living.  The  giving.  The  entertainments.  The  children. 

ingly  have  his  attentions  been  occupied  with  bank 
stocks  and  ledger,  that  he  has  not,  for  a  long  time,  been 
able  to  settle  his  account  with  Heaven.  He  does  not 
remember,  perhaps  does  not  know,  that,  in  view  of  be- 
nevolent enterprise,  he,  whose  steward  he  professes  to 
be,  has  said,  "  Let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store 
as  God  hath  prospered  him."  And  so  it  has  not  enter- 
ed into  his  conceptions  to  give  as  the  Lord  hath  pros- 
pered him,  but  rather  to  live  and  expend  in  mere  worldly 
display,  as  the  Lord  hath  prospered  him.  Though  he 
lives  in  this  splendid  mansion,  and  has  his  servants  at 
pleasure,  yet  it  is  really  wonderful  to  see  what  a  pittance 
he  gives  toward  sustaining  the  poor  and  friendless,  and 
the  various  institutions  of  Christianity. 

He  does  not  seem  to  know  the  fact  that  it  is  as  truly 
a  religious  duty  to  give  according  to  his  ability,  as  it  is 
to  pray.  He  does  not  know  this,  because  he  seldom,  if 
ever,  finds  time  in  his  closet,  with  his  Bible  and  with 
his  God,  to  search  into  these  matters.  He  lives  on  the 
surface  of  all  religious  duty.  Five  hundred  dollars  is 
but  a  light  expenditure,  if  spent  in  household  equipage 
family  wardrobe,  or  in  the  sumptuous  entertainment  of 
friends.  But  fifty  dollars  for  the  widow  and  the  father- 
less, or  for  any  benevolent  enterprise,  which  will  not 
enroll  the  name  of  the  donor  on  the  annals  of  fame,  is 
too  large  an  expenditure  to  even  contemplate,  and  such 
I  have  never  known  him  to  give,  except  on  some  pub- 
lic occasion.  His  children  are  not  pious.  Much  effort 
has  been  made  to  fit  them  to  shine  in  the  world,  but, 
alas !  how  little  to  prepare  them  to  shine  in  heaven,  or 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  £61 


No  reward.      "  How  do  you  like  him  ?  "      Do  not  stoop.      A  name  in  heaven. 


in  the  image  of  the  heavenly !  If  what  little  he  has 
given  has  been  given  in  view  of  the  observation  of 
men,  he  has  for  this  no  reward  from  his  Father  in 
heaven. 

Do  you  think  this  man  rich  toward  God  ?  How  much 
treasure  do  you  think  he  has  laid  up  in  heaven  ? 
This  is  one  of  my  rich  poor  friends.  How  do  you  like 
him?  Do  you  think  you  will  covet  the  influence  of 
his  friendship  in  the  other  world  ? 

If  not,  then  I  would  advise  you  not  to  cater  to  his 
opinion,  or  covet  his  friendship,  in  this  world.  Do 
not  sanction  his  costly  entertainments  by  your  presence. 
It  is  unbecoming  the  simplicity  of  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
and  beneath  your  dignity  in  view  of  your  high  and 
holy  calling.  If  you  do  it,  you  may  make  yourself 
a  partaker  of  other  men's  sins. 


m>i 


g  Jour  Sltdt  <J[mn<L 


And  now,  permit  me  to  introduce  you  to  one  of  my 
rich  poor  friends.  I  cannot  give  you  her  name.  That 
is  recorded  in  heaven,  and  this  is  honor  enough.  But  1 
will  briefly  state  facts.  We  will  look  in  upon  her  in 
various  avocations  of  life.  Here  she  is  helping  her  hus- 
band in  his  little  grocery.     His  circumstances  are  limi- 


262  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Sundries.  Perpetual  motion.  "  That  little  room."  The  funds. 

ted,  and  will  not  allow  of  his  employing  a  clerk,  neither 
can  she  afford  to  keep  hired  help.  But  here  all  is  tidy, 
and  pleasant  to  eye  and  ear.  Pies  and  bread,  milk  and 
tape,  needles  and  nuts,  in  short,  every  variety  of  tax  on 
patience  and  time  in  connexion  with  household  duties. 
But  here  patience  is  having  its  perfect  work.  And 
though  the  hands  may  be  in  perpetual  motion,  her  heart 
is  as  truly  in  the  service  of  God  as  though  she  had 
received  a  commission  from  heaven,  specifying  her  vari- 
ous work  in  all  its  minutiae.  Her  standing  over  the 
counter,  to  retail  articles,  is  made  the  occasion  of  fre- 
quent and  earnest  converse  on  the  subject  of  religion, 
and,  through  this  means,  souls  have  been  awakened, 
some  have  been  converted,  and  others  sanctified.  That 
little  room,  attached  to  the  store,  has  been  the  birth- 
place of  souls.  And,  though  so  small  and  humble  in 
appearance,  it  has  often  been  filled  with  the  hallowing 
presence  of  God,  and  numbers  have  received  the  seal  of 
the  Sanctifier,  while  bowed  there.  Though  this  husband 
and  wife  have  but  one  little  room  and  chamber,  yet  this 
is  the  abode  of  neatness,  hospitality  and  affection.  And 
this  is  not  all ;  the  sick  and  the  poor  are  visited,  and 
the  distressed  in  body,  mind,  and  estate  are  relieved. 
Our  poor  rich  friend  has  always  something  to  give. 
Her  income  is  small,  but  the  tenth  is  scrupulously  laid 
aside,  according  as  God  hath  prospered  her.  Persons 
have  often  wondered  how  our  poor  rich  friend's  funds 
came,  and  where  from.  She  is  ever  ready  for  every 
good  work,  and  gives  wholly  beyond  many  who  have 
the  amount  of  her  means  a  hundred  times  told.     What 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION-  2fi$ 


Which  will  haye  the  brightest  crown.  An  inventory  including  all. 

do  you  think  of  our  rich  poor  friend,  and  our  poor  rich 
friend  ?  "Which  do  you  think  will  have  the  brightest 
crown  at  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and 
our  Savior  Jesus  Christ  ? 


m*i 


I  would  rather  God  would  cut  short  the  work  in 
righteousness,  and  take  me  home  to  heaven,  than  to  be 
ever  vacillating  in  my  faith  and  in  my  purposes. 
When  I  gave  myself  up  wholly  to  my  Redeemer,  it  was 
in  the  bonds  of  an  everlasting  covenant.  I  looked  well 
at  the  terms  of  the  covenant,  resolved  that  it  should  be, 
in  all  things,  well  ordered  and  sure.  After  I  had  made 
an  inventory,  and  signed  myself,  with  all  that  I  had  or 
ever  expected  to  have,  over  to  God,  the  enemy  did  not 
dispute  the  point  that  I  had  given  up  all,  as  far  as  I  knew, 
to  God,  but  he  suggested  that  there  might  be  something 
I  did  not  know  of  that  I  had  not  surrendered.  I  re- 
plied ,  I  make  no  provision  for  future  emergencies ;  I 
give  up  all,  whether  known  or  unknown,'  resolved  that, 
as  God  shall  reveal  his  will,  I  will  say,  "  Behold  thy 
willing  servant,  determined  all  thy  will  to  obey  !  "  Now 
you  have  been  much  troubled  on  this  point  of  giving 
up  all.     With  thousands  of  other  sincere,  earnest  souls, 


264  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  deed.  What  we  sing.  When  it  becomes  duty  to  believe. 

you  have  said,  "  How  may  I  know  when  I  have  given 
up  all  ?  "  This,  certainly,  is  not  so  difficult  a  point  to 
apprehend  as  you  imagine.  If  I  should,  by  an  instru- 
ment at  law,  convey  to  you  my  dwelling,  with  all  it  con- 
tains, whether  known  or  unknown,  and  then  should 
afterwards  find  something  that  I  had  not  known  of  at  the 
time,  would  I  have  a  right  to  appropriate  the  included 
yet  unthought-of  article  to  myself?  All  you  have,  or 
may  ever  expect  to  have,  worth  possessing,  already 
belongs  to  God.  You  have  been  wholly  redeemed,  and, 
as  the  property  of  your  Redeemer,  have  no  right  to 
hold  any  thing  as  your  own.  And  have  you  not,  in 
word,  already  given  up  all  to  God  ?  How  often  have 
you  sung, 

"  Though  late,  I  all  forsake, 
My  friends,  my  all,  resign  " ! 

And  now,  is  it  any  longer  at  your  own  option,  whether 
you  will  be  wholly  the  Lord's  ?  Let  the  language  of 
your  heart  from  this  moment  be, 

"  Lord,  I  am  thine,  and  not  my  own, 
Thy  servant,  purchased  unto  thee  ; 
My  every  power  is  thine  alone, 
The  dear-bought  right  of  Calvary." 

The  moment  you  make  the  entire  surrender,  that  mo- 
ment (and  not  till  that  moment)  does  it  become  not  only 
your  privilege,  but  your  solemn  duty,  to  believe  that 
God  accepts  you  wholly.  God  has  given  you  grace  to 
present  yourself  a  living  sacrifice.  You  come  through 
Christ,  and  an  offering  presented  to  God  through  Christ 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  265 

What  makes  the  offering  acceptable.  Lawyer 's  early  call. 

is  holy,  acceptable.  Yes,  it  is  holy  and  acceptable 
because  it  is  presented  through  that  blood  that  cleanseth 
from  all  unrighteousness.  And  who  would  dare  doubt 
but  that  a  sacrifice  presented  to  God  through  this  all- 
cleansing,  ever-purifying  medium,  is  holy  and  acceptable 
to  God  ?  To  doubt  it  were  indeed  sinful.  And  would 
not  such  doubts  bespeak  a  light  estimate  of  the  blood 
of  the  Son  of  God  ? 

M  If  all  the  sins  which  men  have  done, 

In  thought  or  will,  in  word  or  deed, 
Since  worlds  were  made,  or  time  begun, 

Were  laid  on  one  poor  sinner's  head, 
The  stream  of  Jesus'  preciou*  blood 

Could  wash  away  the  dreadful  load." 


Hill 


THE  COLORED  WOMAN  AND  THE  LAWYER. 

"  The  rich  and  the  poor  meet  together,"  and  how  the 
Lord,  "  the  Maker  of  them  all,"  can,  in  a  few  moments' 
time,  bring  them  on  an  equality,  has  just  been  illustrated, 

in  a  manner  I  shall  never   forget.     Lawyer came 

to  my  husband's  office,  at  a  very  early  hour,  this  morn- 
ing, all  excitement,  and  suffering  quite  seriously  from 
injuries  received  in  the  awful  disaster  which  has  well- 
nigh  clothed  our   city  in  mourning.     He  was  on  board 

23 


£t58  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THIS 

The  burning  boat.  Sinks  three  times.  The  lawyer's  last  hold. 

the   burning  "  Henry  Clay."     By  an  amazing  train  of 
fortunate  providences,  he  was  not  consumed  by  the  de- 
vouring flame,  or,  with  scores  of  others,  plunged  irto  a 
watery  grave.     Being   unable  to  swim,  he  remained  on 
the   burning  vessel   until   pursued  by  the  flames  to  the 
last  possible  refuge.     He  then  threw  two  cane-bottomed 
seats  into  the  river,  hoping,  if  he  missed  one,  he  might 
alight  on  the  other.      But  here  his  purpose  failed.     He 
missed   both,  and,  on   plunging  into  the  water,  sank  to 
the  bottom.     Through  the  mercy  of  God,  he  rose  again, 
and   succeeded  in   getting  hold  of  an  iron  brace  which 
supported  the  guards  of  the  boat,  which  was  now  fast 
being  enveloped  in  flame.     Here,  he  supported  himself 
till  he  could  retain  his  hold  no  longer,  and  again  h* 
sank.      Again,    through    the    mercy    of  God,    he    was 
brought   up,  and   succeeded,  yet  once  more,  in  getting 
hold  of  a  brace,  and,  for  a  short  time,  sustaining  himself, 
when,  through  failure  of  strength,  or  the  burning  heat, 
one  finger  after  another  unloosed  its  grasp,  until  his  last 
hold   on  life  or  hope  apparently  vanished,  and  he  sank 
as  if  to   rise  no  more,  until  the  sea  should  give  up  her 
dead.     And   yet,  through  a  miraculous  Providence,  he 
again  arose.     On  reaching  the  surface  of  the  water,  his 
head  dashed  against  something,  which,  though  in  a  state 
of  extreme  exhaustion,  he  grasped.     It  proved  to  be  the 
gangway  plank.     On  fixing    his  feeble    hold   here,  he 
soon   found   that  he  was  only  sharing  this,  his  last  hold 
on  life.     Holding   on  at  the  other  end  of  the  plank,  in 
the  frenzied  struggles  of  expiring  hope,  was  an  athletic 
colored  woman  !     In  the  violence  of  her  struggles,  she 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION,  £67 

The  lawyer  supplicates.  The  universal  leveller  in  sight.  The  rescue. 

several  times  almost  wrenched  the  plank  from  the 
feeble  grasp  of  the  lawyer,  and  every  struggle  seemed  to 
make  the  probability  more  certain  that  the  lawyer  and 
colored  woman  must  together  sink  and  perish.  Law- 
yer   is  one,  whose  high-toned  spirit,  and  peculiar 

cast  of  mind,  would  dispose  him  to  be  among  the  last  to 
supplicate  such  a  being  as  her,  who  was  now  so  emi- 
nently jeopardizing  his  last  weak  hold  on  life.  But 
now,  with  most  moving  expostulations,  he  implored  his 
frantic  companion,  for  Heaven's  sake,  that  she  would 
not  wrest  away  his  only  remaining  hope,  assuring  her, 
that,  if  she  continued  thus  violent  in  her  efforts,  both  he 
and  she  must  quickly  and  inevitably  sink  together. 

Ah,  the  rich  and  the  poor  had,  indeed,  met  together. 
Death,  the  universal  leveller,  with  whom  distinctions  are 
unknown,  was  now  in  sight,  and,  as  he  was  about  with 
one  grasp  to  seize  these  fresh  victims,  a  small  boat  came 
to  their  rescue,  and  they  were  saved.  Such  was  the 
haste  of  those  who  had  drawn  them  into  the  small  boat 
to  rescue  as  many  as  possible  of  these  who  had  thrown 
themselves  into  the  water  from  the  burning  vessel,  and 
were  now,  in  every  direction,  struggling  for  life,  that,  in 
drawing  the  lawyer  into  the  little  boat,  they  dragged 
him  in  with  his  face  downward,  and  but  little  more 
than  halfway  over  the  side,  barely  sufficient  to  ensure 
the  poise,  and  here  he  lay,  hanging  over  the  side  of  the 
boat,  with  his  face  downward,  too  weak  to  move,  until, 
with  the  other  rescued  ones,  he  was  taken  ashore,  and 
kindly  cared  for. 

And  now,  in  view  of  the  miraculous  preservation  of 


268  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Who  would  have  thought  it?  A  child  early  devoted  to  the  ministry. 

Lawyer ,  who  would  not  have  thought  that,  in  re- 
lating this  to  his  pious  physician,  in  less  than  a  day  after 
its  occurrence,  he  would  ascribe  his  preservation  to  God, 
and  would,  at  once,  resolve  on  devoting  his  life  to  the 
service  of  his  Preserver  and  Redeemer  ?  but  not  one 
word  of  thankfulness  to  God,  or  of  a  resolve  to  devote 
his  spared  life  to  his  service,  did  he  utter.  Surely,  if 
men  "  will  not  hear  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither 
would  they  be  persuaded,  though  one  rose  from  the 
dead." 


■  •>» 


JBjje  a  (Jfaitore. 


WEALTH  FIRST,   THE  MINISTRY  AFTERWARDS. 


He  believed  himself  called  to  the  work  of  saving 
souls.  He  seemed  to  have  descended  from  the  tribe  of 
Levi.  By  an  aged  grand-father,  who  had  long  been  in 
the  sacred  office,  he  had,  in  early  life,  been  dedicated 
to  the  service  of  the  sanctuary ;  and,  by  a  father  who 
also  ministered  at  the  altar,  he  had,  in  spirit,  been  con- 
secrated to  the  work  of  saving  souls.  When  God  con- 
verted his  soul,  he  became  very  ardent  in  his  service 
A  few  months  afterwards,  he  obtained  the  witness  of 
entire  sanctification.  He  had  before  had  serious  con- 
victions in  regard  to  what  might  be  his  call;,  but  now, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  269 

A  call  to  preach.  A  golden  bait.  A  faithful  friend. 

with  a  distinctness  which  was  unmistakable,   he  knew 
that  he  was  called  to1  be 

"by  God, 

The  Lord,  commissioned  to  make  known  to  men, 
The  eternal  councils ;  in  his  Master's  name, 
To  treat  with  them  of  everlasting  things." 

He  did  not  mean  to  be  disobedient  to  the  call  of  the 
Spirit,  but  a  golden  bait  was  thrown  in  his  way,  which 
he  did  not  discover  to  be  of  Satan  till  too  late.  He  had 
a  wife  whom  he  had  taken  from  a  comfortable  sphere  in 
life.  "  Shall  I  subject  this  dearly  cherished  one  to  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  an  itinerant  minister's  wife  "  ?  thought 
he.  How  much  better  to  place  her  in  circumstances 
first  where  my  mind  may  be  relieved  from  the  thought 
that  she  may  be  exposed  to  contingencies  which  may 
burden  my  heart !  How  much  more  cheerfully,  then, 
may  I  wing  my  way  with  messages  of  salvation  as  an 
ambassador  for  Christ ! 

And  thus  he  reasoned,  when  a  lucrative  office  under 
the  government  was  offered.  Fifty  thousand  dollars 
might  soon  be  realized,  human  probabilities  considered. 
The  enemy  told  him  that  this  sum  might  soon  be 
obtained,  and  then,  with  a  light  heart  and  a  rapid 
course,  he  could  soon  redeem  the  time  spent  in  the  accu- 
mulation of  his  fortune.  He  did  not  seem  to  perceive 
the  true  character  of  the  bait,  but  God  raised  him  up  a 
faithful  friend.  We  expressed  to  him  our  misgivings, 
and  would  fain  have  hindered,  but  he  was  so  sure  he 
might  present  Christ  on  shipboard,  and  in  California,  that 
the  point  was  yielded. 


23* 


270  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  first  failure.  A  sad  change.  Returns  home  to  die. 


He  soon  embarked.  On  shipboard,  he  failed  to 
exhibit  Christ.  The  first  failure  was  as  he  sat  down  to 
the  first  meal.  The  Holy  Spirit  suggested,  "  Ask  a 
blessing  openly  on  the  food,  and  let  it  be  known  that 
you  acknowledge  God  in  all  things."  But  the  tempter 
said,  It  would  have  the  appearance  of  being  righteous 
overmuch.  The  tempter  prevailed.  And,  with  shame 
and  sadness,  did  our  friend  spend  his  first  night  on  the 
sea.  And  now  he  became  painfully  conscious  that  his 
spiritual  strength  was  failing,  and  that  he  was  out  of  the 
path  of  duty.  Soon  he  began  to  neglect  all  religious 
duties,  and  at  length  totally  departed  from  God.  What 
a  change ! 

"  From  what  a  height  of  happiness  cast  down!  " 

Splendid  talents,  which  might  have  been  employed  in 
the  service  of  Christ  as  an  ambassador  from  the  King 
of  heaven,  yielded  up  to  the  service  of  sin !  Still  he 
hoped  for  a  brilliant  earthly  career.  But,  in  this,  he 
was  doomed  to  a  most  fatal  disappointment.  His  health 
utterly  failed,  and  he  became  a  wreck.  Disappointment 
and  disaster,  with  raven  wing,  brooded  over  him,  and 
utterly  darkened  every  prospect.  His  earthly  schemes 
all  failed,  and,  after  a  year  or  two,  he  returned  home 
only  to  die.  He  was  a  spiritual  and  physical  wreck.  In 
the  day  of  his  calamity,  he  sought  earnestly,  and  with 
most  bitter  repentant  tears,  the  mercy  of  God,  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  In  some  of  the  bitter  pangs 
through  which  he  passed,  I  was  with  him,  and  never 
can  I  forget  his  sad  bewailings.     Truly,  in  that  cup  of 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  211 

Obtains  mercy.      Family  group.      Little  children  and  birds.      The  broken  vase. 

repentance,  was  the  "  wormwood  and  the  gall."  The 
Lord  had  mercy  on  his  soul,  but  his  sin  was  a  sin  unto 
the  death  of  the  body.  He  lingered  a  few  months  more 
on  the  shores  of  time,  a  pitiable  wreck,  in  body,  mind, 
and  estate,  and  has  now  gone  to  reap  the  rewards  of 
eternity,  but  not  of  a  life  spent  in  the  service  of  Christ 
as  a  faithful  minister. 


Sfe  JfttCfljg* 


THE  INCOG  IN  THE  NURSERY. 

Here  is  a  happy  family  group.  These  little  ones  are 
bright  and  gleeful.  The  God  of  nature  is  in  himself  a 
fountain  of  happiness.  Children  are  made  t^o  be  happy, 
and,  if  not  pinioned  by  disease,  or  ungentle  usage,  their 
little  hearts,  and  agile  forms,  will  bound  upward  un- 
fettered as  the  joyous  bird.  Children  may  be  sportive  ; 
it  is  surely  as  natural,  as  for  birds  to  fly.  But,  though 
natural,  and  therefore  unsinful,  as  for  the  sportive  lamb 
to  indulge  in  its  playful  gambols,  yet  children  cannot 
always  be  sportive,  without  damage  to  household  equi- 
page, wardrobe,  and  limb. 

And  here  is  a  changed  scene.  Our  happy  little  family 
group  are  all  in  dismay  and  sorrow.  A  vase  has  been 
broken,  and  a  nice  garment  torn.    Not  intentionally  ;  O, 


212  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 

The  pulpit  lamp.  Who  raises  the  wind  ?  Bad  seed.  Harvest. 

no  !  The  disaster  was  as  purely  accidental  as  was  that 
of  the  earnest  clergyman,  who,  when  in  the  heat  of  his 
subject,  came  too  near  that  splendid  lamp,  and  sent  it 
whirling  below.  That  minister  was  not  met  with 
severe  words,  and  an  uplifted  hand.  Our  incog  has 
another  way  of  meeting  ministers,  and  other  people  in 
church,  than   little   loving  hearts  in  the   nursery. 

In  fact,  I  imagine  our  incog  has  something  to  do  in 
causing  disasters.  He  raised  the  wind  in  the  days  of  Job, 
and  has  he  not,  as  the  Prince  of  the  power  of  the  air, 
raised  it  many  a  time  since  ?  Yes  !  And  he  has  just  now 
been  raising  it  in  this  nursery.  He  did  not  come  in 
sooty  garments,  or  with  cloven  foot.  No !  Surely, 
he  had  been  resisted,  had  he  come  thus.  But  I  will 
tell  you  just  how  he  came.  It  was  in  a  flowing 
garment  of  light.  And  thus  stealthily  did  he  hide 
his  satanic  steppings,  as  he  approached  that  pious 
father  or  mother,  and  in  subtlety  whispered,  "  You  do 
well  to  be  angry."  The  incog  is  instantly  obeyed,  and 
lo  !  the  havoc.  Seeds  of  anger  are  sown  in  these  young, 
guileless  hearts.  Dire  seeds,  such  as  were  sown  in  the 
heart  of  Cain,  are,  by  the  parents'  own  hand,  sown  in 
these  infant  hearts.  And  who  can  doubt  but  this  seed 
will  germinate  ?  Do  you  not  already  see  its  fruit  in 
that  angry  cry,  and  those  retorting  words  ?  But  do  not 
imagine  the  end  is  yet.  A  plentiful  crop  awaits  you  in 
after-life.  And  you  may  gather  its  bitter  fruit  in  eter- 
nity. O,  beware  of  the  first  entrance  of  the  incog  in 
the  nursery ! 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  273 


Peaceful  airs.    A  dark  heart  in  a  light  dress.     Toil  in  the  kitchen  and  the  incog  too 

THE  INCOG  IN    THE  KITCHEN.- 

But  the  nursery  is  not  the  only  place  where  our  in- 
cog stealthily  obtrudes.  He  was  in  that  kitchen  and 
laundry,  when  you  unkindly  chided  that  servant.  The 
peaceful  airs  of  Paradise,  which,  through  redeeming 
mercy,  may,  and  ought  to,  pervade  every  dwelling,  are 
his  bane.  And  he  would  fain,  with  pestilential  breath, 
contaminate  the  air  of  your  dwelling  ;  but  he  will  do  it 
stealthily.  Again  we  tell  you,  don't  expect  to  see  him 
come  with  sooty  robe,  or  showing  his  cloven  foot.  He 
knows  your  likes  and  dislikes  quite  too  well  for  that. 

In  fact,  I  imagine  you  are  really  too  pious  to  entertain 
his  satanic  majesty  with  a  good  relish  knowingly.  But  he 
is  aware  that  yourself  and  family  have  very  many  privi- 
leges, social  and  religious,  of  which  this  poor  domestic, 
made  alike  with  yourself  in  the  image  of  God,  may  not 
partake.  He  would  have  you  unmindful  of  the  differ- 
ence, and  the  corresponding  obligation,  on  your  part,  to 
meet  the  deficiency  by  the  kindliness  of  your  behavior. 
Who  prompted  you,  when  you  administered  that  re- 
proof in  such  an  ungentle  manner  ?  And  when  you 
permitted  your  pampered  children  to  perplex  those  in 
your  employ,  and  to  manifest  a  disregard  to  the  increase 
of  their  labor,  comfort  and  convenience,  whose  dicta- 
tions did  you  yield  to  ?  O,  there  is  care,  toil  and  pri- 
vation enough  in  the  kitchen  !  It  is  cruel  to  have  the 
incog  there. 


#74  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Unfriendly  innuendo.  Fashionable  follies.  Midnight  convictions. 


•liiE  INCOG  IN  THE  PARLOR  AND  CHAMBER. 

But  does  he  not  often  get  in  the  parlor,  and  in  the 
secrecy  of  the  closet,  or  the  chamber  ?  Was  he  not  in 
your  parlor,  when  you  meted  out  allusions  derogatory 
to  the  character  of  that  Christian  minister,  that  pious 
friend,  and  that  neighbor,  such  measure  as  you  well 
know  you  would  not  love  to  receive  again  ?  And  when 
you  made  that  display  of  folly  and  fashion,  so  unbecom- 
ing the  simplicity  of  the  gospel,  was  he  not  there  to 
urge  you  to  it,  and  to  assist  you  in  it?  When  you 
were  influenced  to  pursue  a  course,  calculated  to  intro- 
duce your  children  into  fashionable  life,  rather  than  to 
introduce  them  to  the  attentions  of  the  purely  pious, 
and  to  expend  your  means  largely  for  fashionable  follies, 
instead  of  sacrificing  to  God  that  which  cost  you  some- 
thing,— whose  dictations  did  you  obey  ? 

When  you  went  to  your  chamber,  and,  in  conformity 
with  the  usages  of  the  pious,  knelt  before  the  Lord  your 
Maker,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  reproved  you  for  the  errors  of 
your  spirit  and  life,  who  was  it  that  influenced  you  to  turn 
away  from  that  reproof,  with  the  suggestion,  that  others, 
professing  as  much  religion  as  yourself,  did  the  same  ? 
And  when,  from  a  condemning  conscience  and  physical 
indisposition,  you  were  held  waking  in  the  midnight 
hour,  the  Spirit  urging  you  to  renewed  and  entire  dedi- 
cation, whose  influence  did  you  obey,  when  you  resolved 
that  you  could  not  be  quite  willing  to  be  singular  for 
Christ's  sake  ?  Ah,  the  subtle  incog !  He  lurks  in  the 
parlor  and  the  chamber. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  275 

Thorns  for  the  pillow,  and  opiates  for  the  conscience.       Blinded  with  golden  dust. 


THE  INCOG  IN  THE  COUNTING-HOUSE. 

But  where  may  we  not  find  the  incog  ?  Here  he  is, 
in  this  place  of  merchandise,  prompting  this  man  of 
business  to  an  unhallowed  haste  to  be  rich.  Stealthily 
is  he  preparing  thorns  for  the  dying  pillow  of  this  un- 
restful  man.  In  his  restlessness,  he  gives  him  opiates, 
which,  though  they  may  not  give  quiet  to  the  weary 
body,  are  fast  deadening  the  sensibilities  of  the  soul. 

Poor  man !  He  is  becoming  blind,  and  cannot  see 
afar  off.  Our  incog  is  the  god  of  this  world,  and  this 
grovelling  man  of  money  once  perceived  this,  but  he  is 
every  day  growing  blinder,  and  the  cause  of  this  increas- 
ing blindness  is  becoming  yet  more  perceptible  to  his 
far-seeing,  pious  friends.  Time  once  was,  when  he  used 
to  turn  his  eye  upward ;  but  now  he  seldom  or  ever  does 
this.  This  long-continued  looking  downward,  in  search 
of  the  root  of  all  evil,  is  fixing  a  mark  of  most  debasing 
tendency  upon  him ;  but  this  he  does  not  perceive.  Alas  ! 
our  insidious  incog  has  well-nigh  done  his  worst  here. 
Subtle,  cruel  fiend !  There  he  stands  disguised  as  a  friend ! 
And  do  you  see  how  he  raises  the  dust  ?  It  appears 
as  gold,  and  eagerly  our  poor  counting-house  friend  will 
weary  out  life's  hours  in  catching  at  these  particles,  that 
he  may  put  them  in  his  coffer.  What  a  pity  he  does 
not  perceive  how  these  particles  are  blinding  his  eyes ! 


"  Our  aim  is  happiness ;  't  is  yours,  't  is  mine, 
'Tis  the  pursuit  of  all  that  live  on  earth, 
But  some  mistake  the  mark,  and  weary  out 
Life's  hours  in  chasing  shadows." 


276  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


The  echo  of  a  whisper.  Possible  effects.  The  two  servants— -envy. 

THE  INCOG  IN  THE  CHURCH. 

■ 

Nor  is  this  all.  Here  he  is  among  these  church  mem- 
bers. Did  you  notice  that  uncharitable,  half-spoken 
insinuation  ?  That  unwary  professor  did  not  exactly 
mean  to  do  wrong,  in  that  unkind  insinuation.  But 
our  fiendish  incog  whispered  it  in  his  ear ;  and  he 
whispered  it  out.  Had  the  incog  been  clothed  in  fiend- 
ish garb,  our  friend  would  have  abhorred  obedience 
to  his  bidding. 

But  the  words  have  gone  forth.  How  slight,  seem- 
ingly, were  the  insinuations  !  but  they  were  seeds  of  dis- 
cord. And,  now  that  they  have  been  once  sown,  who 
can  tell  what  the  harvest  may  be,  when  fairly  reaped, 
perhaps  in  the  disbanding  of  that  now  peaceful  church  ? 
See  that  man,  with  his  one  talent,  closely  eying  his 
Christian  brother,  to  whom  his  Lord  has  entrusted  five 
talents.  The  servant  with  his  one  talent,  and  the  ser- 
vant with  his  five,  are  equally  precious  in  the  sight  of 
him  who  is  "no  respecter  of  persons."  Each  one  is 
required  to  use  just  what  he  has,  and  no  more.  But 
how  enviously  is  that  one-talented  member  eying  his 
brother,  who  is  striving  to  make  full  use  of  his  five  tal- 
ents !  "Ah  !  "  whispers  our  would-be  pious  incog,  M  are 
not  all  the  Lord's  servants  prophets  ? "  What  better 
right  than  yourself  to  that  more  honorable  position,  has 
that  brother  ?  And  thus  begins  the  whisper  of  dissatis- 
faction, which  ends  in  outspoken  wrath,  and  ultimate 
destruction.  Had  our  incog  come  in  his  native  garb, 
our  one-talented,   yet   not    wicked    friend    might    have 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  211 


Two  high  for  safety.  Company  into  the  pulpit.  What  God  and  angels  saw. 


remained  in  his  own  sphere,  and  been  useful.  But,  by 
yielding  to  that  first  whisper,  he  is  allowing  our  incog  to 
exalt^  him  to  a  position,  which  he  has  no  talent  to  fill, 
and  in  which  he  dishonors  himself,  and  the  cause  of 
piety.  Soon  will  he  thrust  him  down,  and  make  him 
the  sport  of  fiends. 

THE  INCOG   IN  THE  PULPIT. 

But  where  will  not,  and  where  has  not,  our  incog 
appeared  ?  He  enters  God's  holy  temple,  and  has  been 
known  even  to  ascend  the  sacred  desk,  in  company  with 
the  minister.  But  so  subtle  in  deceivablness  is  our  incog, 
that  the  minister  knew  him  not.  We  do  not  say,  that 
he  might  not  have  known  him ;  for  there,  right  before 
him,  lay  an  infallible  test,  by  which  he  might  at  once 
have  tried  him,  and  known  that  he  was  not  of  God. 
But  of  this  he,  who  had  come  to  minister  for  Christ, 
was  unmindful.  He  did  not  go  to  the  law  and  to  the 
testimony,  to  try  the  spirit,  and,  before  he  was  aware, 
the  foul  incog  took  the  advantage.  Instead  of  preach- 
ing Christ,  he  preached  himself.  He  made  a  display 
of  himself,  as  a  very  close,  theological  thinker.  Noth- 
ing could  be  more  evident  to  God,  angels,  and  the 
deeply  spiritual  portion  of  his  auditors,  than  that  he  was 
willing  to  exhibit  himself  as  a  sermonist,  of  extraordinary 
powers  of  analyzation,  an  adept  in  all  the  technicalities 
of  theology,  of  marked  ability  for  profound  biblical 
criticism,  and  pulpit  oratory.  And  of  this  he  has  con- 
vinced his  auditors.  But  though  his  auditors  go  away 
under  this  conviction  in  regard  to  the   man   that  has 

24 


278  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  minister  and  his  invisible  prompter.  Five  hundred  hours  lost. 

ministered  to  them,  who  goes  away  with  renewed  and 
powerful  convictions  of  the  necessity  of  Christ  as  a  present 
Savior  ?  Who  goes  away  newly  convicted  of  the  infi- 
nite claims  of  Christ  on  the  heart,  or  with  renewed 
heart-realizations  of  his  saving  power  ?  Ah !  the  incog 
was  in  the  pulpit,  and  what  a  wonderful  gain  did  he 
make  out  of  that  minister,  and  through  his  influence ! 
What  a  gain  of  sacred  time !  This  was  the  Lord's  day. 
A.nd  here  were  about  five  hundred  auditors.  Mark  that ! 
Yes,  mark  it ;  for  our  incog,  with  his  many  invisible 
attendants,  marked  it  closely,  and  with  fiendish  frolic. 
Only  think — five  hundred  hours  of  sacred  time  ;  time 
which  ought  to  have  been  improved,  in  earnest  efforts  to 
prepare  the  soul  for  immortality,  and  eternal  life.  Here 
are  five  hundred  souls  standing  on  the  brink  of  eternity, 
some  whom,  perhaps,  for  the  last  time,  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
brought  to  this  temple  sacred  to  holy  service. 

O,  did  not  our  incog  make  memorable  gain,  when  he 
went  with  that  minister  into  the  sacred  desk,  and  in- 
duced him  to  preach  himself  instead  of  preaching  Christ  ? 


"  Angels  our  march  oppose, 
Who  still  in  strength  excel  ; 
Our  secret,  sworn,  eternal  foes, 
Countless,  invisible. 
From  thrones  of  glory  driven, 
By  flaming  vengeance  hurled, 
Thry  throng  the  air,  and  darken  heaven, 
And  rule  this  lower  world" 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  279 


Irishearteued.  A  responsible  position.  An  apology  answered. 


$tte  minister's  Wfe. 


"  If  I  should  get  the  blessing,  I  am  sure  I  could 
never  keep  it.     I  am  naturally  so  volatile — so  light !  " 

And  who  do  you  think  it  was,  that  said  this  ?  Why, 
it  was' a  minister's  wife;  one  who,  by  virtue  of  her 
position,  had  placed  herself  before  the  people  as  an  ex- 
ample in  faith  and  practice.  Of  this,  we  reminded  her, 
as  we  urged,  upon  her  the  solemn  cmty  of  present  holiness, 
as  the  indispensable  pre-requisite  of  a  minister's  wife ! 

How  serious  are  the  responsibilities  of  those  who 
place  themselves  in  this  position  !  "  But,"  say  some, 
"  we  do  not  wish  others  to  follow  us  as  examples  in 
faith  and  doctrine.  We  do  not  profess  to  have  an  ex- 
perience which  will  warrant  this."  But,  my  dear  Chris- 
tian sister,  whether  you  desire  it  or  not,  scores,  if  not 
hundreds,  will  be  thus  looking  up  to  you.  If  conform- 
ed to  the  will  of  Christ,  in  experience  and  in  spirit ;  if 
you  manifest  an  evident  renunciation  of  the  world,  with 
all  its  vain  pomp  and  vanity,  hundreds  will  take  knowl- 
edge of  you,  in  the  various  places  where  the  vocation  of 
your  husband  may  lead  you,  and  will  be  influenced  by 
your  example  to  do  likewise.  But,  if  you  do  not,  you 
will  neutralize  the  effect  of  your  husband's  ministra- 
tions, and,  instead  of  luring  souls  to  heaven,  through 
your  influence,  you  may  find,  in  the  end,  that  scores 
stopped  short  of  a  the  prize  of  their  high  calling  in 
Christ  Jesus,"  by  following  your  tardy  example.  Anc7 
do  you  feel  quite  ready  to  meet  them  at  the  last  day  ? 


280  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

As  good  a  Savior  as  Paul  had.     "  But  I  am  so  volatile."     A  certain  minister's  desire 

How  much  better  that  you  at  once  rise  and  step  for- 
ward, and,  in  the  majesty  of  Almighty  grace,  stand  forth 
in  connection  with  your  husband,  and,  in  inspiring  atti- 
tude and  word,  proclaim,  "  We  are  well  able  to  go  up 
and  possess  the  good  land  "  !  You  know  that  we  are 
well  able.  You  have  as  good  a  Savior  as  Paul  had. 
The  Savior  is  with  you  now.  If  he  should  now  make 
himself  visible  to  you,  as  to  his  disciples  in  journeying 
to  Emmaus,  and  say  to  you,  "  Believest  thou  that  I  am 
able  to  do  this  ? "  what  would  you  say  in  reply  ? 

You  would  not  dare  to  say,  "  Lord,  I  am  so  volatile, 
so  irresponsible  in  my  feelings,  so  prone  to  yield  to  my 
natural  preferences,  and  shrink  from  the  cross  —  I  can- 
not think  of  standing  out,  in  an  attitude  before  the  peo- 
ple, that  word  seem  to  say,  "  Follow  me."  You  would 
rather  say,  "  Lord,  all  things  are  possible  with  thee, 
and  all  things  are  possible  to  him  that  belie veth." 

Our  dear  friend,  the  minister's  wife,  who  said  she 
was  so  volatile,  felt  much  as  you ;  only,  perhaps,  more 
volatile,  timid  and  irresponsible  ;  for  we  have  seldom 
seen  a  minister's  wife,  who  seemed  more  disposed  to 
shrink  away  from  the  responsibilities  of  her  high  calling. 
We  had  'met  at  one  of  those  yearly  gatherings,  where 
the  tribes  go  up  to  worship  in  tents.  Her  husband,  who 
felt  deeply  the  cares  of  his  holy  vocation,  and  was  en- 
deavoring, with  clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart,  to  minis- 
ter in  the  sanctuary,  greatly  desired  that  his  lovely, 
intelligent  wife  should  be  his  help-meet,  in  meeting  his 
ministerial  responsibilities.  Now,,  do  not  smile,  and 
think  me   over-exacting,  when   I  say  that  this  was  just 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  £81 

Thoughts  on  a  minister's  choice  of  a  wife.  The  only  difficulty  in  this  case. 


what  he  had  a  right  to  expect  of  her.  And  we  are  free 
to  say,  before  God  and  man,  that,  when  a  minister  gives 
himself  to  God  and  the  church,  he  wrongs  himself,  and 
wrongs  the  church,  if  he  does  not  marry  in  view  of  a 
helper  in  his  calling.  And  not  only  does  he  wrong 
himself  and  the  church,  but  he  wrongs  the  lady  of  his 
choice,  if  he  does  not  first  see  that  her  natural  and  re- 
ligious preferences  are  such  as  to  ensure  an  aptness  for 
the  duties  of  her  holy  calling.  And  may  it  not  be  owing 
to  a  want  of  careful  observance  on  this  subject,  that 
many  a  minister's  wife  has  pined  out  a  short  existence  ? 
God  saw  that,  by  neither  grace  nor  nature,  she  was  fitted 
for  her  sphere.  Pier  husband  failed  in  his  election. 
He  thought  more  about  her  pecuniary  condition,  and 
his  mere  natural  preferences,  than  about  a  helper,  meet 
to  aid  him  in  bettering  the  spiritual  condition  of  his 
flock. 

For  this  cause  many  are  sickly,  and  many  die.  But 
is  the  fragile,  inefficient  wife  the  only  sufferer  under 
these  circumstances  ?  Might  not  that  minister,  whose 
cares  with  his  unhelpful  family  are  ever  crushing  his 
spirits ;  might  not  such  an  one  have  risen  high  in  the 
scale  of  eminent  usefulness,  if  he  had  sought  a  wife  with 
as  much  prayerful  circumspection  as  Fletcher  did  ?  " 

But,  with  this  minister's  wife,  it  was  not  a  want  of 
natural,  intellectual  or  physical  ability  for  her  work. 
The  only  difficulty  with  her,  as  with  a  great  many  other 
ministers'  wives  was,  the  want  of  full  salvation.  And 
this,  her  intelligent,  and  deeply  pious  husband  kneAv, 
and  it  was  therefore  he  said  tr  us, — 

24* 


282  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Deep  personal  interest.  Afraid  to  go  over.  "  I  am  going."  Tears. 


"  Do  interest  yourself  for  Mrs. 


5J 


This  was  at  the  commencement  of  a  camp  meeting 
occasion,  and  deeply  and  most  prayerfully  did  we  inter- 
est ourselves  in  her  behalf  during  the  entire  process  of 
the  meeting ;  but  we  were  almost  invariably  met  with 
the  discouraging  response  — 

u  If  I  should  get  the  blessing,  I  am  sure  I  could  never 
keep  it." 

She  did  not  manifest  a  want  of  interest  in  the  subject, 
but  she  manifested  a  lamentable  want  of  faith  in  the  wil- 
lingness and  ability  of  Christ  to  keep  her.  She  was  as 
the  Israelites  would  have  been  if,  when  they  were  com- 
manded to  go  over  and  possess  the  goodly  land,  with 
the  promise  that  God  would  save  them  from  the  hand 
of  their  enemies,  they  had  said,  "  Nay,  Lord,  we  are 
afraid,  if  we  obey  thy  command,  and  go  over  to  possess 
the  land,  that  thou  wilt  not  save  us,  after  we  have 
gone  over,  but  wilt  leave  us  to  be  overcome  by  our 
enemies."  Who  can  conceive  of  greater  temerity, 
or  any  thing  more  insulting  to  God,  the  promise-keep- 
ing Jehovah? 

It  was  now  toward  twilight  of  the  last  day  of  the 

meeting.     Mrs. ,  not  intending  to  remain    on    the 

ground  over  night,  came  to  bid  me  an  affectionate  and 
hasty  adieu. 

"I  am  going,"  she  exclaimed.  "Yes!  and  going 
without  full  salvation." 

She  burst  into  tears,  and  said, 

u  I  am  sure  it  is  not  because  I  do  not  need  it !  " 

"  No  !     It  is  not  because  you  do  no*  need  it,  for  you 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  2S°d 


Faith  in  view  of  instant  death.       Saved  now  by  believing  now.       Praise  to  Jesus. 

need  it  greatly.  You  cannot  be  equal  to  the  duties  of 
your  high  and  holy  calling  without  it.  And  you  also 
know  just  how  you  might  have  it.  If  you  knew  you 
had  but  one  moment  more  to  live,  would  you  not  cast 
yourself  wholly,  and  just  as  you  are,  on  Christ  ?  And 
7ould  he  not  save  you  to  the  uttermost  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  know  he  would." 

"  Then  why  do  you  not  now,  just  as  you  are,  cast 
yourself  wholly  on  Jesus  for  present  salvation  from  all 
tin  ?  God  does  not  leave  it  optional  with  yourself 
whether  you  will  do  it  now  ;  he  commands  you  to  do  it 
now.  He  says  '  Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved,' — not 
to-morrow,  or  five  minutes  hence,  but  now.  You  may 
be  in  eternity  to-morrow,  or  five  minutes  hence.  All 
you  need  is  present  salvation.  You  'cannot  breathe  this 
moment  for  five  minutes  hence.  Neither  can  you  be- 
lieve for  five  minutes  hence.  If  you  are  now  relying 
wholly  on  Christ,  to  save  you  this  moment,  he  is  saving 
you.  Are  you  now  trusting  wholly  in  him  to  save  you 
from  sin  ?  " 

"  I  am." 

"  Do  you  think  you  are  sinning  now  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  How  are  you  now  being  saved  from  sin,  if  it  is  not 
by  the  power  of  your  omnipotent  Savior  ?  You  could 
not  save  yourself  from  sin  one  moment,  any  more  than 
the  veriest  fiend.  And  if  Christ  is  saving  you,  is  it  not 
your  duty  to  give  him  the  glory  due  to  his  name  ?  Do 
not  wait  till  you  feel  an  impelling  influence  to  praise 
him.     You  do  not  wait  to  thank  a  friend  that  does  you 


£84  ILLUSTKATl      N  S      G  F      THE 


The  witness  of  the  Spirit.  The  new  song  Meeting  in  a  large  tent. 


a  great  favor,  till  you  feel  some  impelling  influence  ;  but 
you  do  it  because  it  would  be  unseemly  not  to  do  it.  If 
Jesus  is  now  saving  you,  will  you  not  now  say, 


"  My  Redeemer  from  all  sin, 
I  will  praise  thee"? 


She  quickly  repeated  the  words,  and  in  tearful,  ador- 
ing gratitude,  praised  her  Redeemer  from  all  sin.  A 
divine  consciousness,  inwrought  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  was  given,  and  she  proved  the  cleansing 
efficacy  of  Jesus'  blood.  She  had  begun  the  new  song 
sung  by  the  blood-washed  spirits  redeemed  from  earth, 
and  which  no  man  could  sing,  biit  they  who  had  first 
learned  it  on  earth,  and,  with  the  angel  company,  she, 
in  word  and  in  spirit,  repeated,  "  Unto  him  that  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and 
hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father, 
to  him  be  glory  and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen !  " 

So  engrossing  were  the  beatitudes,  with  which  the 
vision  of  her  mind  was  now  filled,  that  she  could  not  at 
once  leave  that  sacred  spot,  as  anticipated.  She  lingered 
till  after  supper,  when  a  meeting  was  proposed  in  the 
large  tent  in  which  we  now  were. 

A  large  concourse  gathered  in,  among  whom  were 
several  beloved  ambassadors  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
We  had  been  but  a  short  time  together,  when  our  newly 
blest  friend,  the  minister's  wife,  forgetful  of  her  former 
timidity,  arose,  and  sweetly  said, 

"  I  have  been   trusting  in  Jesus   to   save  me  from  all 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  £85 

How  a  soul  was  saved  one  hour.  The  professor.  The  blessing  keeps  her. 

sin,  one  hour;  and  he  has  saved  me.  Praise  his 
name  !  And  now  I  have  been  asking  myself,  if  Jesus 
can  save  me  one  hour,  why  can  he  not  save  me  two 
hours,  if  I  will  trust  in  him  ?  And  if  he  can  save  me 
two  hours,  can  he  not  save  me  a  day,  a  month,  or  a  year  ? 
If  he  can  save  me  a  year,  can  he  not  save  me  two  years, 
and  all  along  through  life,  till  I  get  to  heaven,  if  I  will 
only  trust  in  him  ? " 

The  effect  of  such  a  testimony  from  one  who  had 
been  so  shrinking  and  volatile,  was  almost  electrical. 
A  teacher  in  Israel  of  some  celebrity,  and  a  professor 
in  a  neighboring  literary  institution,  was  so  interested 
and  edified,  that  he,  in  less  than  an  hour,  was  also  on  his 
feet,  as  a  newly  raised  witness  of  the  power  of  Christ  to 
save  from  all  sin.  "  Never,"  said  he,  "  did  I  see  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  way  to  be  saved  from  all  sin,  as  by  hearing 
that  simple  testimony  of  Mrs.  ." 

Many  other  witnesses  from  that  literary  institution, 
and  elsewhere,  were  enabled,  that  night,  to  testify  of 
Christ  as  a  full  Savior.  No  one  present  can  forget  the 
interest  of  that  blissful,  powerful  scene.  The  work 
went  on  all  night,  and  it  was  about  four  o'clock  the  next 

morning    before    Mrs.  could    leave.     The   inspi 

ration  of  the  occasion  seemed  mostly  to  take  its  rise 
from  the  unsophisticated,  yet  powerful  testimony  of  the 
timid  Mrs. ,  who  was  so  sure,  if  she  got  the  bles- 
sing, that  she  could  never  keep  it. 

Some  years  have  passed  since  this  eventful  camp 
meeting  reminiscence  ;  but  still  we  have  reason  to  hope 

that  the  once  fearful   Mrs.  keeps  the  blessing,  or, 

in  other  words,  the  blessing  keeps  her. 


#86  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  visit  to  the  church.      Prayer.      Attitude  of  the  congregation.      Prayer  paid  for 


Jrxrsg  MnrsWp- 


PRAYING    BY    PROXY- 


Did  you  ever  hear  of  such  a  thing  as  proxy  worship  \ 
Well,  just  step  aside  with  me.  Let  us  enter  this  tem- 
ple dedicated  to  the  worship  of  Almighty  God.  And 
then  tell  me  what  you  think  of  proxy  worship.  Do 
you  see  that  minister  kneeling  in  the  desk  ?  What  is 
he  doing  ?  He  is  engaged  in  worship.  Ah,  then,  this 
is  the  temple  of  the  Lord.  And  this  kneeling  man  is 
obeying  the  divine  admonition,  uttered  by  David,  "  O 
come,  let  us  worship  and  bow  down  ;  let  us  kneel  before 
the  Lord,  our  Maker."  And  now,  my  friend,  turn  your 
eye  away  from  the  sacred  desk.  What  do  you  see  ? 
Here  is  a  large  concourse,  sitting  at  apparent  ease.  Some 
are  looking  at  the  minister.  Others,  I  imagine,  are 
observing  the  latest  fashion.  And  here  are  others,  with 
head  reclined,  in  dozy  attitude.  But  why  does  not 
this  assembly,  convened  as  they  are  for  worship,  obey 
the  inspired,  expostulatory  injunction,  "  O  come,  let  us 
worship  and  bow  down,  let  us  kneel  before  the  Lord, 
our  Maker,"  and,  in  scriptural  attitude,  worship  the 
God  of  the  Scriptures  ?  I  can  tell  you  just  the  reason. 
The  practice  of  proxy  worship  has  obtained  in  this  con- 
gregation. Of  course  they  pay  their  minister.  And 
what  are  ministers  paid  for,  but  to  do  the  work  of  the 
congregation?  If  the  minister  is  paid  for  doing  the 
praying,  ought  he  not  to  do  it  ?     The  unkneeliug,  rest- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  287 

Outsiders  coming  in.  Celestial  railroad.  "  Who  does  he  mean?" 

ful  attitude  of  this  congregation,  betokens  restfulness  of 
mmd,  and  of  course  is  calculated  to  commend  to  outer 
court  worshippers  the  pleasantness  of  proxy  worship. 
And  may  not  this  be  one  reason  why  so  many  outsiders 
come  in,  and  unite  in  church  fellowship  with  this  body 
of  professed  Christians  ?  Surely,  there  is  nothing  repul- 
sive to  the  most  irreligious  heart  in  proxy  worship. 
For  why  should  these  proxy  worshippers  even  exclaim, 
with  some  ancient  sinners,  concerning  the  service  of  the 
Lord,  "  Behold,  what  a  weariness  it  is  "  ?  We  live  in 
the  age  of  progress,  and  it  is  not  singular  that  some 
modern  Christians  have  found  an  easier  way  to  get  to 
heaven  than  those  of  ancient  times.  Did  you  ever  hear 
of  the  Celestial  Railroad  ?  Well,  these  Christians  are 
going  to  heaven,  not  in  the  trudging  way  of  good  old 
Christian,  of  Pilgrim's  Progress,  but  by  the  new,  easy 
way — the  Celestial  Railroad.  It  is  true  that  this  new, 
and  more  easy  road  is  not  described  in  our  scriptural 
chart,  as  was  Bunyan's.  But  why  make  much  ado 
about  this  ?  Many  people  cannot  find  much  time  to  read 
the  Scriptures,  and  proxy  worship  is  so  much  easier  and 
more  modern  than  scriptural  worship. 

SINGING    BY    PROXY. 

But  stop  !  The  minister  rises,  and,  in  solemn  cadence, 
repeats,  "  Let  us  praise  God  by  singing  the  sixty-sixth 
Psalm."  "  Let  us  praise  God  "  !  Who  does  he  mean  1 
Not  this  whole  congregation  of  course.  Why  should 
he  ?  for  this  portion  of  the  worship  of  God  has  also  been 
paid  for.     And,  though  set  forth  in  the   catalogue  of 


288  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Thu  orchestra.        The  outlandish  air.        The  secret  out.         The  stragglers. 

scriptural  duties  as  about  equal  in  prominence  with 
prayer,  yet,  as  with  prayer,  it  is  performed  by  proxy. 
Do  you  see  that  thoughtless-looking,  gaily  attired  little 
group,  sitting  up  yonder  ?  Well,  that  is  the  orchestra^ 
and  this  is  the  place  which  this  congregation  of  proxy 
worshippers  have  set  apart  for  the  singing  to  be  perpetra- 
ted. This  little  singing  group,  who  have  been  hired 
to  perform  the  singing  part  of  worship  are  mostly,  if  not 
all,  non-professors.  The  words  which  the  minister  has 
given  out,  you  observe,  are  deeply  solemn,  and  those 
utterances  demand  a  devotional  heart.  You  wonder  at 
the  inappropriateness  of  manner,  and  at  the  inappropri- 
ate outlandish  air  which  has  been  selected.  But  this 
should  not  be  cause  of  surprise.  Could  you  expect  this 
thoughtless  young  company,  uninitiated  as  they  are,  in 
the  proprieties  of  grace,  to  select  an  air  suited  to  these 
deeply  devotional  words  ?  Why  expect  it  ?  If  their 
hearts  have  never  been  subjected  to  devotional  trainings, 
how  can  devotional  perceptions  emanate  ?  And  then  there 
are  also  -other  reasons  well  known  to  the  choir  frater- 
nity, and  I  hope  I  shall  be  pardoned  for  revealing  the 
secret,  but  it  is  so  explanatory  that  I  must  tell  you. 
Old-fashioned  stragglers  as  ourselves  sometimes  chance 
to  get  into  this  congregation.  Not  being  acquainted 
with  the  modern  mode  of  proxy-singing  worship,  they 
make  an  effort  to  obey  the  dictates  of  their  pious  hearts, 
and,  with  David  and  Paul,  attempt  to  "  Sing  with  the 
spirit  and  with  the  understanding  also."  These  attempts 
being  vastly  unpopular  with  the  choir,  they  have  con- 
cluded, in  self-defence,  to  keep  ever  practising  on  new 


-ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  289 

-■■■■■  -  ■    ■  -  .■■■—_  m 

A  strife  after  novelty.         Limping  performances.         The  failure  successful. 

und  unheard-of  tunes.  You  observe  their  lame,  hesita- 
ting manner  in  singing.  This  is  to  be  accounted  for 
from  the  rapidity  with  which  they  are  obliged  to  leap 
from  one  new  tune  to  another  ;  otherwise  those  not  initi- 
ated in  the  secret  of  proxy-singing  worship  might  get 
the  start  of  them  by  chancing  to  catch  some  of  these 
iiying  airs. 

It  is,  therefore,  a  needful  secret,  in  the  plan  of  proxy- 
singing  worship,  that  these  who  are  employed  to  sustain 
it,  should  be  ever  leaping  on  from  one  new  tune  to 
another.  Otherwise,  how  could  it  be  sustained?  The 
limping  manner,  therefore,  in  which  this  portion  of 
proxy-worship  is  conducted,  flows  out  as  a  necessary 
consequence  of  the  system. 

These  proxy-singing  worshippers  are  not,  perhaps,  to 
be  particularly  blamed  for  those  stammering,  hesitating 
performances.  They,  surely,  are  to  be  pitied.  The 
fact  in  the  case  is,  that  they  really  have  not  had  time  to 
learn  the  tunes,  and  how  can  they  do  otherwise  than 
hesitate,  when  they  scarcely  know  whether  they  are 
going  right  or  wrong  ?  But  do  not  let  us  blame  the 
system,  or  the  perpetrators.  A  system  whose  adapta- 
tion fully  meets  the  end  proposed  is  pronounced  admi- 
rable. And  see  how  admirably  this  succeeds  !  Listen ! 
Scarcely  do  you  hear  an  interfering  voice.  Then  do  not 
blame  the  perpetrators.  They  have  succeeded  to  a 
charm  in  doing  what  they  have  been  hired  to  do.  Sel- 
dom, if  ever,  is  the  choir,  or  the  congregation,  annoyed 
now  with  having  others  sing  than  those  duly  recognized 
as  proxy-singing   worshippers.     And  so    pleasant    and 

25 


£90        ,  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  cash  and  the  Toice.  David's  exhortation.  Paul's  will.  Luther. 

quieting  to  the  body  and  conscience  has  this  proxy  mode 
of  praising  God  by  singing  been  found,  that  it  is  rapidly 
obtaining  in  all  churches  of  every  name. 

Surely,  it  is  much  easier  to  pay  one's  money  than  to 
weary  one's  voice  by  maintaining  those  ancient  modes 
practised  by  the  Old  and  New  Testament  saints,  and 
other  teachers  of  religion  of  olden  time.  How  much 
more  thought  and  exertion  seems  implied  in  the  mode 
of  worship  in  David's  time  !  Witness  his  exhortation 
to  all  the  people  to  praise  the  Lord  and  sing  unto  him 
with  a  loud  voice.  Mark  his  many  persuasions  to  this ; 
Psalm  xxxiii.  3  ;  lxvii.  4 ;  lxxxi.  1  ;  cv.  2.  And  then 
Christ  and  his  disciples  together  sung  a  hymn,  and 
Paul,  exhorting  to  unity  in  congregrational  worship,  tells 
just  what  he,  as  one  of  a  worshipping  assembly,  will  do  ; 
"  I  will  sing  with  the  Spirit,  and  with  the  understanding 
also." 

Ah,  Paul,  how  wilful  would  you  be,  were  you  to 
carry  out  really  such  a  resolve  in  this  age  of  progress ! 
And,  then,  there  was  good  old  Luther  too !  O,  had  he 
lived  in  these  days,  what  an  innovator  would  he  have 
been !     Only  listen  to  him  in  his  good  Old  Hundred. 

"  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow  ; 
Praise  him, all  creatures  here  below; 
Praise  him  above,  ye  heavenly  host, 
Praise  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost." 

Ah,  and  here  is  yet  another  man,  of  ancient  time, 
who,  I  imagine,  were  he  now  with  us,  would  have  been 
so  far  behind  the  times  as  not  to  regard  the  practice  of 
proxy-singing  worship  even  a  privilege  that  it  were  as 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  291 

The  discipline.  A  question  and  eight  answers. 

largely  paid  for  as  the  best  paid  choir  of  proxy  singers 
in  the  land.  Here  is  a  book  of  doctrine  and  discipline, 
which  was  sent  forth  from  under  his  supervision.  Lis- 
ten while  I  read  a  few  lines  on  this  subject  from  this 
curiosity  of  a  book.  We  will  read  from  a  section  un- 
der the  head  : 

'*  Of  the  Sjiirit  and  Truth  of  Singing. 

"  Question.  How  shall  we  guard  against  formality  in 
singing  ? 

"Answer.  1st.  By  choosing  such  hymns  as  are  proper 
for  the  congregation. 

"  2d.  By  suiting  the  tunes  to  the  words. 

"  3d.  By  often  stopping  short,  and  asking  the  people, 
'Now,  do  you  know  what  you  said  last?  Did  you 
speak  no  more  than  you  felt  1 ' 

"  4th.  Do  not  suffer  the  people  to  sing  too  slow. 
'liiis  naturally  tends  to  formality ,  and  is  brought  in  by 
those  who  have  either  very  strong,  or  very  weak  voices. 

"  5th.  In  every  large  society,  let  them  learn  to  sing 
and  let  them  learn  our  tunes  first. 

u  6th.  Introduce  no  new  tune  till  they  are  perfect  in 
the  old. 

"  7th.  Exhort  every  person  in  the  congregation  to 
sing  ;  not  one  in  ten  only. 

"  8th.  .  .  .  Public  singing  is  a  part  of  divine  worship, 
in  which  all  the  congregation  ought  to  join." 


292  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF.   THE 


Hair-splitting.  What  non-professors  know.  Spiritual  worship  required. 


fyrijitural  SitorsMjj. 


CONVICTION  OF  THE  UNLEARNED  AND  UNBELIEVING  CONTEMPLATED 


Is  there  not  some  scriptural  attitude  becoming  the 
humble  spiritual  worshipper,  a  mode  by  which  Bible 
Christians  may  attain  to  some  uniformity  in  worship  ? 
The  unbelieving  world  is  looking  upon  us.  Little  do 
mere  worldlings  know  about  the  hair-splitting  theology, 
which  divides  the  various  evangelical  denominations. 
But  there  is  one  thing  they  do  know,  and  that  is,  that 
we  all  profess  to  regard  the  sacred  Scriptures  as  the  foun- 
dation of  our  religion,  a  sufficient  rule  for  faith  and 
practice.  No  worship  is  acceptable  but  spiritual  w^  • 
ship.  But  "  The  hour  cometh  and  now  is,  when  the 
true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and 
in  truth ;  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  him. 
God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship 
him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  How  greatly  important,  then, 
in  view  of  this  solemn  declaration,  directly  from  the  lips  of 
the  Savior,  that  we  should  seek  to  know  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit !  If  we  fail  to  do  this,  how  can  we  be  spiritual 
worshippers  ?  And  without  a  careful  study  of  the  writ- 
ten word,  how  Can  we  know  the  mind  of  the  Spirit  ? 
Here  we  have  the  mind  of  the  Spirit ;  for  "  Holy  men 
of  God  spoke  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;  " 
and  Peter  says,  "  Now  the  Spirit  speaketh  expressly  on 
this  wise."  Human  opinions  are  changeable  and  con- 
flicting.    But  here  we  come  to  the  lively  oracles,  and, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION  293 


Safe  examples.  The  spirit  produces  the  acts. 

through  these,  listen  to  the  living  voice,  of  the  ever- 
living,  unchangeable  Jehovah.  The  sane  spirit  that 
spoke  through  holy  men  of  old,  here  as  truly  speaks  to 
us  as  though  its  living  utterances  were  issuing  forth  from 
him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne.  Yes,  "  holy  men 
of  God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Actuated,  then,  as  they  were,  by  the  Spirit,  we  shall, 
in  following  the  teachings  of  their  example,  be  guided 
in  judgment  on  this  point,  and  be  wise,  understanding 
what  the  will  of  the  Lord  is. 

Not  for  ourselves  alone  is  it  needful  that  we  maintain 
spiritual  —  scriptural  worship.  Unbelievers,  and  the 
unlearned  in  spiritual  things,  are  ever  mingling  with  us. 
If  we  imagine  that  we  may  worship  God  in  our  own 
hearts  and  lightly  regard  these  outward  observances,  we 
are  not  Christians  of  the  same  stamp  with  Paul.  The 
acts  of  the  genuinely  spiritual  Christian  are  as  truly 
inspired  as  were  the  "Acts" — actions  of  the  apostles. 
It  was  the  spirit  of  Christ  dwelling  in  the  apostles  as 
their  "  wisdom  and  righteousness,"  which  produced 
their  acts ;  an  I  n,  is  the  design  of  grace  that  every 
believer  should  be  "a  habitation  of  God  through  the 
Spirit,"  and  should  experimentally  apprehend  an  in- 
dwelling Christ,  "  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us,  wis- 
dom, righteousness,  sanctification  and  redemption."  "  If 
any  man  have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of 
his."  If  a  Christian  be  actuated  by  the  Spirit,  he  will 
be  careful  that  not  only  his  thoughts  and  feelings  be 
under  the  dominion  of  the  Spirit,  but  that  action,  as  ar; 
exponent  of  thought  and  feeling,  indicate   the  interna? 

25* 


294  ILLUSTRATIONS      CF      THE 


A  habitation  for  God.  Paul  on  the  proprieties  of  public  worBbip. 

workings  of  the  Spirit  to  the  outward  world.  "  Know 
ye  not  that  y<  -ur  body  is  the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  is  in  you  ?  "  "It  is  God  that  worketh  in  you  to 
will  and  to  do  /"  What  a  responsibility  does  this  fact  im- 
pose on  all  who  name  the  name  of  Christ,  to  "  be  workers 
together  with  God,"  by  seeking  to  know  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit,  and  to  show  themselves  taught  of  God,  and  actu- 
ated by  the  Spirit !  This  is  needful,  as  truly  in  social, 
and  public  worship,  as  in  closet  devotion. 

Paul  seemed  specially  desirous,  that  spiritual  worship 
should  be  maintained,  in  view  of  the  conviction  of  the 
unlearned  and  unbelievers.  Witness  how  singularly 
important  he  regards  a  due  attention  to  the  proprieties 
of  religious  worship.  Not  only  does  he  contemplate  the 
conviction  of  the  unlearned  and  unbelieving,  but  their 
ultimate  and  speedy  enlistment  as  worshippers.  Surely, 
Paul  seems  almost  strangely  sanguine  on  this  subject. 
Indeed,  you  will  not  think  I  give  it  undue  prominence, 
if  you  will  only  with  me  study  his  views,  contemplat- 
ing as  they  do,  the  conviction  and  conversion  of  the 
unbelieving.  He  says,  "  And  thus  are  tne  secrets  of  his 
heart,  that  is,  the  heart  of  the  unbeliever,  made  manifest, 
and,  so  falling  down  on  his  face,  he  will  worship  God, 
and  report  that  God -is  in  you  of  a  truth."  How  impor- 
tant, then,  it  is,  to  observe  scriptural  proprieties  in  wor- 
ship, if  such  achievements  of  grace  may  be  expected  to 
follow  ! 

How  did  Old  and  New  Testament  saints  appear  be- 
fore God  ?  Was  there  any  uniformity  of  mode  observed 
in  their  approaches  to  him  ?     Here  is  Abraham,  bowed 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  295 

Kneeling  worshippers.  Who  put  Daniel  on  his  knees? 

in  lowly  prostration  Sefore  the  Lord,  pleading  for  the 
doomed  Sodomites.  Here  is  Abraham's  servant,  who 
worshipped  the  Lord  bowing  himself  to  the  earth.  Here 
is  Moses,  falling  down  before  the  Lord,  pleading  forty 
days  and  nights  for  his  sinning  brethren.  Here  is  Da- 
vid, on  his  knees,  morning,  noon  and  night,  before  the 
Lord,  his  Maker,  and  calling  on  all  the  people  in  the 
public  assembly,  to  bow  down  and  worship.  Here  is 
Solomon,  at  the  dedication  of  the  temple,  kneeling  be- 
fore the  altar,  with  his  hands  spread  towards  heaven. 
Here  is  Ezra,  saying,  "  I  fell  on  my  knees,  and  spread  out 
my  hands  unto  the  Lord  my  God."  Here  is  Job,  who, 
amid  his  sad  bereavements,  "fell  down  and  worshipped." 
And  here  is  Isaiah,  declaring  the  solemn  purpose  of 
God  on  this  subject,  "  I  have  sworn  by  myself,  the 
word  is  gone  out  of  my  mouth  in  righteousness,  and 
shall  not  return,  that  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow." 
Here  is  Daniel,  touched  by  the  invisible  power  of 
God,  and  "  set  upon  his  knees."  Yes,  God  himself  put 
Daniel  on  his  knees.  And,  here,  again,  he  tells  us, 
"  He  kneeled  upon  his  knees  three  times  a  day."  And 
this  he  did,  though  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  his  unbeliev- 
ing and  malicious  adversaries.  Here  are  the  wise  men, 
falling  down  and  worshipping  the  infant  Jesus.  And 
here  are  even  unclean  spirits,  forced  to  pay  the  homage 
due  to  the  Son  of  God,  and,  falling  down  before  him, 
they  acknowledge  the  reverence  due  to  his  name.  Here 
is  Peter,  falling  down  on  his  knees  to  Jesus,  and  ac- 
knowledging, in  lowly  prostration,  his  sin  in  the  eyes  of 
infinite  purity.     And  here  is  our  divine  Exemplar,  in 


296  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Primitive  Christian  practice.  All  heaven  bowed.  "  What  a  spectacle  !  " 

the  hour  of  his  agony  for  our  sins,  kneeling  before  his 
Father.  Here  is  Stephen,  to  be  received  among  the 
upper  court  worshippers,  as  his  last  act  on  earth,  kneel- 
ing down  in  prayer  for  his  murderers.  And  here  is 
Paul,  also  kneeling  down  by  the  sea-shore  in  social  wor- 
ship, on  an  occasion  of  affectionate  farewell  with  his 
brethren.  Kneeling  in  prayer,  certainly,  was  a  mode 
much  favored  by  Paul  —  a  mode  upon  which  he  person- 
ally practised,  and  to  which  he  directs  special  attention. 
Here,  he  again,  from  the  prophet  Isaiah,  cites  the  divine 
declaration,  "As  I  live,"  saith  the  Lord,  "  every  knee 
shall  bow  to  me."  And  still,  as  though  the  point  were 
never  to  be  yielded,  in  exalting  the  name  of  Christ 
above  every  name,  he  says,  "  That,  at  his  name,  every 
knee  shall  bow,  of  things  in  heaven  and  things  on  earth." 
Yes,  every  knee,  of  things  in  heaven  and  things  on 
earth !  Behold  the  twenty-four  elders  fall  down  before 
the  throne  of  the  Lamb,  with  their  harps  and  golden 
vials  which  are  the  prayers  of  the  saints.  But  are  they 
the  prayers  of  these  unkneeling  saints  ? 

Think  of  impure,  erring,  dependent  man,  approach- 
ing into  the  presence  of  a  being  of  immaculate  purity, 
on  whom  he  is  dependent  for  forgiveness,  and  for  the 
all  that  momentarily  sustains  him,  in  natural  and  spirit- 
ual life — think  of  such  an  one,  in  an  unbowing  attitude, 
attempting  to  worship  the  Lor.d,  his  Maker.  What  a 
spectacle  must  an  assembly  of  such  worshippers  present 
to  the  eye  of  God,  and  the  adoring,  prostrate  worship- 
pers in  the  upper  sanctuary  !  Contrasting  our  unwor- 
thiness,  our  dependence,  and  our  position,  how  strangely 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  297 

What  can  the  angels  think  ?  A  petition  to  the  Almighty,  sitting. 

incongruous  and  unbecoming  must  such  an  attitude 
appear !  Can  angels,  and  the  pure  spirits  of  the  just 
made  perfect,  love  to  linger  over  such  a  scene  ? 

Whatever  their  compassions  may  be,  they  surely  can- 
not feel  the  sympathy  of  love,  nor  a  oneness  of  spirit 
in  worship  with  those  who  would  thus  irreverently  ap- 
proach their  Sovereign.  Who,  but  those  as  untaught  in 
the  proprieties  of  life  as  a  Hottentot,  would  approach 
with  a  petition  even  an  earthly  sovereign,  without  as- 
suming some  reverential  attitude?  How  soon  would 
such  an  one  be  spurned  from  the  presence  of  an  earth- 
ly potentate,  as  unworthy  his  notice !  But  here  are 
worshipping  church  associations,  and  social  circles,  where 
the  blessed  and  only  Potentate,  the  "  King  of  kings, 
and  Lord  of  lords,"  is  approached  with  petitions,  in- 
finite in  importance,  and  requiring  an  infinite  display  of 
condescension  and  clemency,  presented  in  an  unhum- 
bled,  irreverential  attitude. 

"  Tell  it  not  in  Gath,  publish  it  not  in  the  streets  of 
Askelon ;  lest  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines  rejoice, 
lest  the  daughters  of  the  uncircumcised  triumph." 

4 '  Angel  powers  the  throne  surround ; 

Next  the  saints  in  glory  they ; 
Lulled  with  the  transporting  sound , 

They  their  silent  homage  pay ; 
Prostrate  on  their  face  before 

God  and  his  Messiah  fall, 
There  in  hymns  of  praise  adore, 

Shout  the  Lamb  that  died  for  all." 


298  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Couplets  from  the  nursery.        Salvation  and  simplicity.        A  rare  sight. 


ifltytoral  jKnjgttig. 


"  Lord,  how  delightful  't  is  to  see 
A  whole  assembly  worship  thee ! 
At  once  they  sing,  at  once  they  pray, 
They  hear  of  heaven,  and  learn  the  way." 


You  smile  at  my  simple  couplets.  I  learned  them 
when  I  was  a  child.  These,  with  a  great  many  good 
things  which  I  shall  never  forget,  were  acquired  amid 
the  teachings  of  the  nursery.  Yes,  these  lines  are 
among  those  sweet,  truthful  things  which  the  God  of  all 
grace  loves  to  write  in  early  life  on  the  heart  of  child- 
hood. And  I  am  so  wilful  as  to  resolve  that,  with  me, 
they  shall  never  be  unlearned.  I  profess  to  have  been 
converted.  And  ought  not  converted  people  always  to 
retain  their  simplicity  ?  However  wise  people  may  be 
in  their  own  conceits  before  conversion,  it  is  necessarily 
concomitant  with  conversion  to  become  simple  as  little 
children.  And  if  it  is  so  necessary  to  become  as  little 
children,  it  surely  must  be  quite  as  needful  that  wr 
remain  so,  in  order  to  remain  in  a  state  of  fitness  to 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Will  you  accept  my 
apology  as  an  explanation,  or  a  warrant,  for  all  future 
or  past  innovations  of  this  sort  ? 

Our  simple  lines  give  a  truthful  idea  of  scriptural 
worship.  Who,  that  has  witnessed  the  rare  sight  of 
a  whole  assembly  worshipping  God  in  singing,  but  has 
been  reminded  of  the  upper  sanctuary  choristers,  and  has 
felt  yet  stronger  and  more  hallowing  inspirations  drawing 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  299 


King  David  and  congregational  singing.  "  Do  angels  sing  ?  n 

him  heavenward  ?  For  few  and  far  between,  have  been 
these  occasions.  But,  with  such,  we  have  sometimes 
been  favored ;  and  as,  in  grateful  reminiscence,  our 
hearts  have  recurred  to  them,  we  have  exclaimed, 


'•  I  have  been  there,  and  still  would  go, 
'T  is  like  a  little  heaven  below." 


It  was  such  singing  that  David  loved.  How  mani- 
fest, and  oft-repeated,  are  his  preferences !  "  Sing 
aloud  unto  God,  our  strength  ;  make  a  joyful  noise 
unto  the  God  of  Jacob  !  Sing  unto  the  Lord,  all  the 
earth.  Sing  unto  the  Lord  ;  bless  his  name ! '  "  Praise 
him,  all  ye  people."  "  Make  a  joyful  noise  unto  the 
Lord,  all  the  earth  ;  make  a  loud  noise,  and  rejoice, 
and  sing  praise."  "  Let  every  thing  that  hath  breath 
praise  the  Lord."  Yes,  David  loved  a  concert  of 
voices  in  singing.  He  was  not  afraid  of  the  harmony 
being  broken,  though  a  united  assembly  of  "  young  men 
and  maidens,  old  men  and  children,"  might  all,  with 
uplifted  voice,  unite  in  acclamations. 

Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  David  loved  con- 
gregational singing.  And  what  can  bring  earth  and 
heaven  into  such  close  proximity,  and  so  nearly  resemble 
angel  worship,  as  a  congregated  multitude,  with  uplifted 
heart  and  voice,  praising  him  that  sits  upon  the  throne  ? 
No  wonder  that  convoys  of  newly-arrived  angel  spirits 
alight,  and  unite  in  such  a  hymn  as  it  goes  up  to  God. 
But,  do  angels  sing  ?  Yes,  and  it  is  amid  just  such 
assemblies  as  these  that  they  love  to  linger.  Surely,  it 
was  a  truthful  sentiment,  and  not  a  mere  fancy  of  the  poet, 


300  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Buds  of  grace  blasted  by  infidelity.  Christianity  on  trial. 


when,  in  contemplation  of  such  an  assembly  as  this,  he 
sang — 

"  Angels  now  are  hovering  round  us, 
Unperceived,  they  mix  the  throng; 
Wondering  at  the  love  that  crowns  us, 
Glad  to  join  the  holy  song, 
Alleluia,  love  and  praise  to  Christ  belong." 

A  TROPHY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  SINGING. 

But  for  congregational  singing,  my  honored  father 
might  have  been  a  sceptic.  Do  you  ask  how  singing 
and  the  conviction  of  the  sceptic  stand  connected  ?  1 
will  tell  you  just  how.  The  God  of  Nature  had 
given  to  my  dear  father,  as  he  has  given  to  many 
others,  a  soul  ever  ready  to  vibrate  to  the  harmony  of 
sweet  sounds.  In  early  life,  he  had  been  made  acquain- 
ted with  the  doctrines  of  the  cross ;  and  had  partially 
proved  the  saving  power  of  grace.  But,  when  he  grew 
up  to  manhood,  and  was  removed  from  under  the 
restraints  of  parental  teachings,  he  fell  among  infidel 
companions.  The  works  of  Paine,  Voltaire,  and  other 
infidel  writers,  were  urged  upon  him.  As  he  read  on, 
his  mind  became  yet  more  and  more  vitiated,  until,  at 
last,  he  was  on  an  awful  poise  between  truth  and  error. 
But  the  angel  of  the  covenant  did  not  wholly  forsake 
him.  He  concluded  to  give  Christianity  one  more  trial 
of  two  weeks,  resolved  if,  at  the  expiration  of  that 
period,  he  did  not  prove  it  true,  he  would,  without 
further  trial,  abandon  it  forever. 

On  the  succeeding  Sabbath  morning,  he  went  out  in 
search  of  a  place  of  worship.  In  regard  to  denomina- 
tions, he  seems  not  to  have  made  his  election.     But,  on 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  301 


Attracted  by  the  singing.         Learns  the  new  song.        Joins  the  heavenly  choir. 


passing  a  church,  he  heard,  not  the  high-toned  organ, 
but  the  high-toned  melody  of  human  voices,  attuned  to 
lofty  praise.  The  God  of  Nature  is  also  the  God  of 
all  grace.  The  God  who  had  inspired  in  the  heart  of 
these  spiritual  worshippers  these  blissful  strains,  had 
inspired  in  his  heart  a  great  love  of  the  harmony  of 
sweet  sounds,  and  now  a  chord  was  touched,  which 
vibrated  in  connection  with  gracious  influences.  He 
thought  surely,  there  cannot  be  a  better  place  than  this 
to  test  the  truth  of  Christianity.  How  wonderful  are 
the  condescensions  of  redeeming  mercy !  Just  at  the 
oxpiration  of  his  appointed  time  for  the  test,  he  was  en- 
abled, from  his  own  heart  realizations,  to  prove  Chris- 
tianity overwhelmingly  true.  As  a  redeemed  spirit,  he 
learned  the  song  which  none  but  the  redeemed  from 
earth  can  learn.  It  was  the  new  song  which  is  now  be- 
ing sung  by  the  redeemed  company  in  heaven,  and  which 
never  can  be  sung  in  heaven,  but  by  those  who  first 
learn  it  on  earth.  During  a  lengthened  and  useful  pil- 
grimage on  earth,  his  heart  was  ever  attuned  to  its  bliss- 
ful strains,  and  now,  with  the  forty  and  four  thousand 
before  the  throne,  he  is  singing  it  in  heaven  ;  a  trophy 
won  to  Christ  through  the  heaven-inspired  charm  of 
scriptural  singing.  But  when  was  there  ever  a  sceptic 
convicted,  or  a  soul  converted,  by  the  mere  tones  of  the 
organ,  or  the  unscriptural  practice  of  mere  choir  singing  ? 


"  Join  we  then  with  one  accord, 
In  the  new  and  joyful  song  ; 
Absent  from  our  loving  Lord, 
We  shall  not  continue  long. 
26 


302  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  i  traduction.  Why  not  reckon  ?  The  distressed  debtor. 


Jl  gtfrf  §mL 


HOW  FRANCES  EXPERIENCED  RELIGION. 


"Frances  has  been,  for  some  time,  seeking  the 
Lord ;  and  why  she  does  not  find  salvation,  I  do  not 
know." 

So  said  an  affectionate,  pious  aunt,  as  she  introduced 
me  to  her  interesting  niece. 

"  Frances,  do  you  believe  that  Jesus  bore  all  your 
sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree  t"  I  asked. 

The  dear  girl  pensively  replied,   "  I  do." 

"  Then  why  may  you  not  see  all  your  sins  on  Jesus 
laid  ?  If  Christ  has  really  borne  all  your  sins  in  his 
own  body,  then  it  is  not  his  will  that  you  should  bear 
them  any  longer.  { Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  that 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world ! '  Now  look  to  him, 
and,  since  Christ  has  paid  your  debt,  why  not  reckon 
yourself  free  ?  " 

And  thus  we  reasoned  ;  but  still  Frances  was   sad 
And  still  I  pressed  the  question, 

"Do  you,  indeed,  believe  that  Jesus  paid  your 
debt?" 

The  mind  of  Frances  assented  to  the  truth ;  but  still 
in  heart  she  did  not  believe. 

"  Suppose,  Frances,  you  had  contracted  a  large  debt 
in  this  village,  and  you  were  greatly  distressed  on  ac- 
count of  it,  having  nothing  wherewith  to  pay.  You 
have  a  dear  friend  living  at  a  '  distance,  in  whom   you 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  303 

A  very  welcome  letter.  Grateful  expressions — followed  by  grateful  emotions. 

have  great  confidence,  who  loves  you  dearly.  This 
friend,  hearing  of  your  distress,  sends  you  a  letter,  say- 
ing, i  Distress  yourself  no  longer,  Frances,  I  have  paid 
that  debt.'  You  know  what  has  been  his  love  towards 
you,  and  he  has  never  given  you  reason  to  distrust  his 
word,  and  you  know,  also,  that  he  is  abundantly  able. ; 
what  would  you  do  under  such  circumstances  ?  " 
(i  I  would  reckon  myself  free  from  that  debt." 
"  Well,  would  you  not  feel  it  your  duty  to  thank 
your  friend  for  having  paid  the  debt  ?  or  would  you 
wait  till  you  felt  some  impelling  influence  constraining 
you  to  do  it  ?  " 

Here  a  smile  lightened  Frances'  face,  and  she  said, 
"  I  would  surely  thank  him,  because  I  ought  to  do  it." 
"  You  say  Jesus  has  paid  your  debt — borne  all  your 
sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree  ;  and  have  you  thanked 
him  for  having  done  this  for  you  ?  " 

Frances  seemed  ashamed  at  the  thought  that  she  had 
been  so  ungrateful ;  and,  though  she  did  not  seem  to 
think  of  getting  into  the  enjoyment  of  religion  just 
then,  yet  she  saw  that  she  had  treated  her  loving  Savior, 
who  had  died  for  her,  as  she  would  not  have  treated  an 
earthly  friend,  and,  though  she  felt  no  impelling  influ- 
ence constraining  her  to  praise  her  Savior,  she  began 
to  say, 

"  I  thank  thee,  O,  my  Savior,  that  thou  hast  borne  all 
my  sins  in  thy  own  body  on  the  tree.  Thou  hast  paid  my 
debt.  I  do  thank  thee ;  I  will  praise  thee.  Glory  be 
to  Jesus,  my  Savior ! "  And  thus  she  continued  in 
most  joyful  strains,  rejoicing  in  Jesus  her  Savior. 


304  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Could  not  sleep  for  joy.  The  President's  invitation. 

The  next  morning  she  entered  the  room  with  a 
heavenly  radiance  beaming  in  her  face.  She  told  us  she 
had  been  so  happy  all  night,  that  she  had  slept  but  lit- 
tle ;  her  heart  had  been  so  overjoyed  and  absorbed  in 
praise  and  love  to  Jesus,  who  had  paid  her  debt. 

"  Believe  that  Jesus  died  for  thee ; 
And,  sure  as  he  hath  died, 
Thy  debt  is  paid,  thy  soul  is  free, 
And  thou  art  justified." 


*^%m  > 


"<f  don't  mmx  k  be  mnth  Itntmppg  ©cr-dag/' 


If  it  were  known  that  the  greatest  feast  ever  given 
was  announced,  under  the  auspices  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  to  come  off  at  a  very  early  date,  at 
the  capitol  at  Washington,  and  a  special  invitation  were 
given  to  you  to  be  present,  how  would  the  reception  of 
this  invitation  affect  you  ?  Would  not  the  thought  of  it 
incite  pleasurable  emotions,  and  would  you  not,  as  you 
read  it  over  and  over  again,  feel  yourself  signally  hon- 
ored in  having  thus  received  a  special  invitation  to  par- 
take of  the  hospitalities  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  your 
country?  You  would  not  be  ashamed  to  let  your 
friends  know  that  you  had  received  such  an  invitation, 
would  you  ?  But,  shall  I  say  it  ?  I  hesitate  —  yet  it 
is  an  astounding  fact,  sinners  think  less  of  the  King  eter- 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  305 

Fearful  lack  of  appreciation.        Strange  response  to  an  invitation.        M  Come  now." 

nal,  invisible,  the  blessed  and  only  Potentate  of  heaven 
and  earth,  than  they  do  of  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  My  heart  feels  sad  at  the  recollection  ;  bnt  it  is 
a  fearful  fact,  which  I  have  seen  demonstrated  within 
the  past  two  hours.  I  went  to  the  King  of  kings,  and 
implored  his  gracious  majesty  for  his  Son's  sake,  and  in 
view  of  the  ample  provisions  of  the  gospel,  to  permit 
me  to  extend  an  invitation  to  a  rebellious,  perishing  sin- 
ner. I  received  permission,  and  was  it  not,  indeed, 
wonderful  condescension  ?  Gladly  did  I  go  directly  from 
the  throne  of  grace,  and  I  carried  the  invitation  directly 
from  the  God  of  heaven  to  that  sinner.  And  how  do 
you  think  she  received  it  ?  "  I  don't  mean  to  be  made 
unhappy  to-day,"  she  exclaimed. 

The  God  of  heaven  has  made  a  feast.  The  provision 
has  been  purchased  at  an  infinite  expenditure.  He 
sends  an  invitation  to  every  sinner,  and  appoints  the 
time  when  he  shall  come.  The  invitation  is  already 
gone  forth,  "  Come,  for  all  things  are  now  ready."  Let 
me  affectionately  ask  you,  how  do  you  feel  on  the  recep- 
tion of  the  invitation  ?  Do  vou  feel  that  it  is  infinite 
condescension  that  the  master  of  the  feast  should  invite 
you  ?  Does  joy  spring  up  in  your  heart,  that  you  have, 
been  thus  signally  honored  ?  As  you  read  over  the 
invitation  with  earnest  inspection,  and  observe  that  it 
says,  "Come  now,"  does  your  heart  quickly  respond, 
"  I  come !  O,  Lord,  I  come  !  Gladly  do  I  renounce  my 
sins,  and  the  honors  of  the  world,  and  immediately  will 
I  forsake  all,  and  follow  thee  "?  So  did  the  early  dis- 
ciples.    And  when,  in  answer   to   the  invitation,  they 

«6  * 


306  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Insulting  reply.  Presumption.  Fatal  postponement. 

came,  how  long  did  it  take  to  receive  them  ?  But  sup- 
pose, in  answer  to  the  invitation,  they  had  said,  <e  Lord, 
I  perceive  the  invitation  reads,  '  Come  now  ! '  yet  I 
cannot  come  now  !  i  have  certain  worldly  pleasures  in 
contemplation  at  present,  which  I  prefer  rather  than  the 
enjoyment  of  thy  favor.  I  will  keep  the  invitation  on 
hand,  and,  when  I  get  wearied  with  earthly  enjoyments, 
and  feel  like  accepting  the  invitation,  I  will  come,  trust- 
ing in  thy  clemency  to  pardon  my  long-continued  and 
insulting  rejection  of  thy  favor.  I  well  know  that,  in 
thus  refusing  the  invitation,  I  provoke  thy  majesty,  and 
I  also  know  that  I  cannot  have  forgiveness  unless  I 
repent  bitterly  of  these  provocations ;  but,  after  I  have 
provoked  thee  till  some  such  time  as  I  get  ready  to 
accept  the  invitation,  I  then  intend  to  repent,  and  be 
truly  and  heartily  sorry  !  "  Sinner,  do  you  know  that 
repentance,  just  as  truly  as  is  the  remission  of  sins,  is 
a  gift  from  God,  and  that  you  cannot  any  more  repent 
than  you  can  create  a  world,  unless  God  gives  you  the 
gift  of  repentance?  Do  you  remember  the  fearful  case 
of  one  who  found  no  place  for  repentance,  though  he 
sought  it  carefully  with  tears  ?  O,  repent,  while  you 
may ;  fly  to  Christ  now,  who  is  exalted  a  Prince  and  a 
Savior,  to  give  repentance  unto  Israel  and  remission  of 
eins. 

11  Now  God  invites ;  how  blest  the  day ! 
How  sweet  the  gospel's  joyful  sound! 
Come,  sinner,  haste,  0  haste  away, 
While  yet  a  pardoning  God  is  found." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  307 

Technicalities.  Carvosso's  theology  vs.  metaphysical  disquisitions. 


JPWapltpipl  gifpiptttwa  dj-mtsitel 


I  fear  that  my  dear  friend  has  been  hindered, 
in  his  Christian  course,  by  an  undue  attention  to  tech- 
nicalities in  theology.  The  Bible  is  a  wonderfully  sim- 
ple book ;  and,  if  you  had  taken  the  simple  word  of 
God  as  the  man  of  your  counsel,  instead  of  taking  the 
opinions  of  men  in  regard  to  that  word,  you  might  have 
been  a  more  enlightened,  simple,  happy  and  useful 
Christian.  Forgive  my  plainness  of  speech.  I  know 
you  want  me  to  do  you  good ;  and  the  most  hopeful 
way  of  attempting  this  will  be,  to  express  the  honest 
convictions  of  my  heart.  If  Carvosso  had  thought  it 
needful  to  wade  through  as  many  theological  works,  in 
order  to  find  out  what  the  Bible  means  by  the  witness 
of  the  Spirit,  as  you  have  done,  the  history  of  his  sim- 
ple, matter-of-fact  sayings  and  doings  had  never  blessed 
the  world.  It  was  enough  for  him  to  know  that  the 
God  of  the  Bible  had  said,  "  He  that  believeth  hath  the 
witness  in  himself."  He  was  a  plain,  simple  man,  and 
had  not  time,  nor  inclination,  to  put  himself  in  the  way 
of  getting  entangled  in  the  fine-spun  webs  of  theologi- 
cal discussionists.  And,  while  these  well-meaning  men 
and  popular  divines  were  weaving  fabrics  for  the  nicer 
sort  of  people,  he  went  to  the  naked  word,  which  is  able 
to  make  wise  the  simple,  and,  conscious  that  he  had  the 
Spirit  testifying  with  his  own  spirit,  and  speaking  forth 
from  his  abundant  heart-experiences,  the  Spirit  dwell- 
ing in  his  heart  made   the   simple  truths   he    uttered 


308  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  plain  man's  crown.  Who  is  the  wisest  man  ?  Former  difficulties  obviated. 


mighty.  Hundreds,  through  his  agency,  believed ; 
and,  as  ever,  the  Holy  Spirit,  true  to  its  office  on  the 
heart,  testified  of  the  work  wrought.  And  that  humble, 
laborious  servant  of  Christ  is  receiving  a  crown  that  the 
most  profound  theologian  might  not  be  ashamed  to  own. 
arely,  he  will  have  many  stars.  Would  that  you  and 
I  may  have  as  bright  a  crown !  The  day  of  eternity 
will  reveal  that  it  will  not  be  the  greatest  adept  in  hair- 
splitting theology  that  will  be  accounted  the  wisest  man, 
and  have  the  brightest  crown,  but  he  that  winneth  souls. 
Get  souls  fairly  won  over  to  Christ,  and  then  get  them 
to  look  believingly  to  Jesus,  and  the  Holy  Spirit, 
through  whose  power  the  wrork  has  been  done,  will  not 
fail  to  testify  to  its  owrn  operations  every  step  of  the 
way  in  the  process  of  the  sinner's  salvation.  I  speak 
from  experience.  I  was,  for  years,  hindered  in  spiritual 
progress  by  theological  hair-splittings  and  technicalities, 
and  it  wras  not  until  I  resolved  to  let  all  these  things 
alone,  and  take  the  simple,  naked  word  of  God,  and 
conform  my  life  wholly  to  its  precepts,  though  I  might 
have  an  experience  unlike  every  one  in  the  world  beside, 
that  the  steady  light  of  truth  beamed  upon  my  heart. 
I  had,  before  this,  thought  the  subject  of  faith  exceed- 
ingly intricate.  But,  now,  all  difficulties  vanished. 
O,  how  I  wondered  at  my  former  stupidity ! 

I  had  read  doctrinal  treatises  on  faith;  every  thing 
within  my  reach,  my  heart  had  grasped  after  ;  but,  now, 
to  my  surprise,  I  found  that  I  had,  all  the  time,  been 
overlooking  its  simplicity.  Faith,  I  saw,  was  simply 
taking  God  at  his  word  ;  not  some  mvstical  sound  that 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  309 

Faith  vs.  mysticism.  The  easiest  thing  in  the  world.  Obstinate  faith. 

was  to  burst  upon  my  spirit's  ear,  confounding  my 
senses  ;  but  the  plain,  written  word  of  God,  applied  to 
my  heart  through  the  same  power,  and  by  the  same 
inspirations,  by  which  it  was  written :  that  is,  holy  men 
of  God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Consequently,  the  voice  of  the  Scriptures  is  the  voice 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  hearing  God  speak  through  this 
medium,  through  which  holy  men  spake  as  moved  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  I  hear  God  speak  as  verily  as  though  I 
heard  him  speak  from  the  heavens  in  a  voice  louder 
than  ten  thousand  thunders.  In  intellect,  I  had  always 
believed,  in  common  with  the  Christian  world,  that  the 
Bible  was,  (what  I  had  always  termed  it,)  the  Word  of 
God.  Now,  I  saw  I  had  only  in  heart  to  carry  out  my 
principles.  Faith,  now,  to  me  looked  like  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world.  Believe,  and  be  saved !  To  doubt, 
when  God  had  spoken,  looked  strangely  presumptuous. 
I  saw  how  greatly  I  had  dishonored  God  by  doubting 
his  word ;  that  I  had  been  sinning  after  the  similitude 
of  the  ancient  Jews  in  requiring  signs  and  wonders — 
something  beside  the  word  of  God  ;  and  I  resolved  that 
never  again  should  my  Savior  say  to  his  erring  child, 
"  Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  not  believe." 
My  purpose  was  fixed,  that  I  would  sooner  die  than 
doubt.  I  did  believe  with  my  heart ;  and,  while  with 
my  mouth  giving  God  the  glory  of  my  salvation,  salva- 
tion flowed,  in  such  copious  measures,  into  my  soul,  that 
I  seemed  lost  and  swallowed  up  in  the  ocean  of  infinite 
love.  Christ  was  All  in  All.  Entire  and  conscious 
identification  of  interest  with  the  Redeemer's  kingdom 


510  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Identification  of  interest.        What  is  not  the  work  of  the  Spirit.        Our  Helper 

, -^ 

became  a  reality.  I  had  no  separate  motives  or  desires 
to  gratify,  but  every  particle  of  my  being  seemed  laid 
under  contribution  to  glorify  God  and  joyfully  acknowl- 
edged the  sanctifiying  seal,  while  the  Spirit  attested 
with,  my  spirit  most  assuringly  that  the  triune  God  had 
come  to  his  human  temple — had  taken  full  possession 
of  my  heart,  and  now  reigned  unrivalled. 

And  how  could  such  a  work  as  this  have  been 
wrought,  but  through  the  direct  agency  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  ?  Did  you  or  I  ever  have  the  least  consciousness 
of  salvation  through  Christ,  either  in  a  higher  or  lower 
degree,  other  than  as  this  consciousness  has  been 
inwrought  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  ?  It  is  not 
the  work  of  the  Spirit  to  take  off  the  attentions  of  the 
soul  from  the  Savior,  and  the  facts  of  salvation  to  curi- 
ous and  absorbing  questionings  about  the  manner  of  his 
own  working.  No ;  this  is  not  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Noiseless,  and  hallowing,  yet  penetrating  and 
powerful  as  the  viewless  wind,  he  comes  to  the  heart  of 
man  as  sent  in  answer  to  the  pleadings  of  a  risen  Savior. 
"  He  shall  not  speak  of  himself, "  says  the  glorified 
Redeemer,  but  whatsoever  he  shall  hear  that  shall  he 
speak.  "  He  shall  glorify  me  ;  for  he  shall  receive  of 
mine,  and  show  it  unto  you."  The  Spirit  sanctifies  by 
leading  us  into  all  truth.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  our  sym- 
pathizing and  Almighty  Helper.  He  "helpeth  our 
infirmities,"  and  reveals  our  Savior.  While  we  attend 
to  these  holy  revealings,  and  believingly  venture  on 
the  Savior  for  salvation,  we  honor  the  Spirit,  and  \h.- 
Spirit  itself  testifies  with  our  spirit  of  the  faithfulness  of 
our  Redeemer. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  311 

^Hiat  would  fill  you  with  amazement.        You  may  know  when  the  Spirit  is  at  work. 

"  And  both  the  witnesses  are  joined, 
The  Spirit  of  God  with  ours." 

O,  my  dear  brother,  if  you  only  had  clear  and  truth- 
ful apprehensions  of  what  have  in  fact  been  the  work- 
ings of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  your  heart,  from  your  early 
existence  to  the  present  hour,  you  would  be  filled  with 
amazement.  When  you  breathed  that  first  infant  prayer 
to  Heaven,  it  was  the  Spirit  that  inspired  it,  and  helped 
your  infant  infirmities,  as  you  would  fain  have  lisped  it 
in  the  ear  of  God !  To  every  minute  act  of  your  life,  from 
life's  early  hour  to  this,  the  Spirit  has  been  witness.  In 
all  your  various  provocations,  the  Spirit  has  been  grieved. 
But  O,  the  love  of  the  Spirit !  Though  so  often  grieved, 
he  has  not  taken  his  departure,  but  is  still  with  you. 
Though  he  may  not  testify  of  himself,  yet  your  heart 
may  be  assured  of  his  inworkings,  by  those  views  you 
have  of  the  Savior,  as  every  way  adapted  to  your  neces 
sities.  You  could  not  get  a  glimpse  of  the  Savior,  no 
not  for  one  .moment,  only  as  the  Spirit  reveals  him. 
When  the  Savior  says,  "  Look  unto  me  and  be  ye 
saved,"  it  is  the  Spirit  that  silently  and  earnestly  urges 
you  to  rely  on  the  word  of  your  Savior,  assuring  you 
that  he  cannot  be  unfaithful.  And  when  you  do  thus 
fully  rely  on  his  word,  it  is  the  Spirit  that  waits  to 
assure  you  that  the  Savior  does  receive  you. 

"  To  apply  the  witness  with  the  blood, 
And  sign  and  seal  the  sons  of  God." 

O,  my  dear  brother,  I  wish  I  could  tell  you  what  a 
divine   experimental  realization   I  continually  have  of 


312  ILL  US  T  RATIONS     OF     THE 


What  I  should  love  to  tell  you.  Social  meeting.  The  resolve. 

Jesus'  saving,  cleansing  power.  I  should  love  to  tell 
you  how  the  Spirit  takes  of  the  things  of  God,  and 
reveals  them  unto  me.  I  should  love  to  tell  you  just 
how  consciously  and  abidingly  I  realize  that  "  He  that 
believeth  hath  the  witness  in  himself."  I  should  love 
to  tell  you  how  my  heart  apprehends  the  Scriptures  as 
the  lively  oracles,  and  not  a  dead  letter,  but  spirit  and 
life.  O,  I  would  love  to  be  a  living  epistle,  and  speak, 
to  a  congregated  world,  of  the  excellency  of  God's 
word!  I  would  love  to  tell  that  the  Scriptures  are 
living  truth,  and  the  voice  of  the  Spirit ;  and  that  "  He 
that  believeth  hath  the  witness  in  himself." 


$ha  ifa  Jltato  a  tiilk  <J[artlta\ 


Said  a  deeply  devoted  congregational  minister,  in  our 
social  meeting  yesterday  afternoon,  "  I  have  long  had 
the  stake  placed  here ;  I  will  never  leave  off  praying  ! 
However  much  I  may  be  tempted,  or  perplexed  by 
diversified  trials,  never  will  I  leave  off  praying.  Here 
I  have  placed  the  stake.  Satan  shall  not  drive  me  from 
my  knees  !  "  This,  surely,  is  well ;  but  my  own  mind 
was  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of  suggesting 
that  the  stake  be  placed  farther  up  the  hill  of  spiritual 
progress. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  313 

Where  to  place  the  stake.        Momentary  dependence.      What  done  in  five  minutes. 

At  a  subsequent  part  of  the  meeting,  I  rose,  and  asked 
if  every  one  in  those  crowded  rooms,  however  diversified 
in  experience,  would  not,  then  and  there,  make  an 
effort  through  grace  to  place  the  stake  a  little  farther  on, 
and  at  this  distinct  point.  i  A  perfect  and  entire  yield- 
ing up  of  all  to  Christ,  an  entire  trust  in  Christ,  and 
a  continuous  reliance  on  Christ,  for  all  needed  grace 
under  every  diversity  of  circumstance  or  experience.' 
Never  will  the  best,  or  most  experienced  Christian  on 
earth  get  to  a  point  in  his  earthly  career  where  he  will 
not  every  moment  need  salvation ;  and  there  is  not  a 
point,  however  peculiar  in  circumstance  or  experience, 
where  he  may  not  have  salvation,  if  he  will  only  place 
the  stake  at  this  point — '  A  present,  continuous   trust  in 

Christ.'  ■ 

If  we  never  did  save  ourselves  for  one  moment,  and 
never  can  save  ourselves,  and  Christ  alone  can  do  the 
work,  why  can  he  not  now  do  the  work  just  as  well  as 
at  any  future  moment?  Why  can  he  not,  at  this  and 
every  moment  all  along  through  life,  save  with  a  pres- 
ent and  full  salvation,  if  we  will  only  trust  in  him  ? 
And  is  not  this  the  duty  of  the  present  moment,  the 
present  performance  of  which  is  not  left  optional  with 
ourselves  ?  And  does  not  God  require  that  we  should 
just  now  put  the  stake  here,  resolved  through  grace  that 
it  shall  never  be  removed  ? 

Cannot  Christ  save  as  effectually  in  five  minutes  as  in 
five  hours,  or  five  years  ?  Did  he  not  say,  "  All  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  belie veth"  ?  Did  it  make  any 
difference  whether  Lazarus  had  been  dead  four   days,  or 

27 


314:  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


An  acknowledgment  of  faith.  Zero  point  on  heaven's  thermometer. 

four  years,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  it  was  the  Almighty 
Savior  that  was  to  raise  him  up  ?  But  how  evidently  it 
was  the  design  of  Jesus  to  call  forth,  to  the  honor  of 
his  own  name,  an  acknowledgment  of  Martha's  faith 
and  trust !  '  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again ! '  (  Whosoever 
liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die  !  Believest 
thou  this?'  ( Yea,  Lord,  I  believe,'  says  Martha.  And 
who  will  dare  to  doubt  that,  in  the  moment  when  he  shall 
trust  in  Christ,  for  a  resurrection  from  a  life  of  sin  to  a 
life  of  holiness,  the  Almighty  Savior  will  be  his  Savior, 
and  that  he  will  continue  to  save  him  so  long  as  there 
is  a  reliance  on  him  for  it  ? 

1  But  is  it  possible  that  I 

Should  live  and  sin  no  more  ? 
Lord,  if  on  thee  I  dare  rely,     % 
The  faith  shall  bring  the  power.' 

If  the  mark  of  our  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus  is  holiness,  then  we  cannot  place  the  stake  at  any 
lower  point.  We  must  come  up  to  this  mark,  and  con- 
tinue in  this  way,  or  we  are  living  below  the  zero  point 
on  heaven's  thermometer. 


Ufa  Jfiuau  mx&  tfa  l^rM-laol 


Who  put  his  hand  into  that  good  man's  pocket,  and 
purloined  his  pocket-book,  as  a  little  company  of  Im- 
manuel's  army  were  starting  on  their  way  to  win  spoils 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  315 

Don't  know  how  he  did  it.  Incog's  reasoning.  Heavenly  tactics 

for  Christ  ?  It  was  the  incog.  Do  you  ask  how  he  did 
it,  in  order  that  you  may  be  secured  from  depredations 
of  this  sort  ?  Of  this,  I  cannot  well  inform  you  ;  but  I 
may  tell  you  something  of  the  way  to  make  gain  out  of 
our  incog's  depredations.  Here  are  some  friends  of 
yours  who  met  with  just  such  a  disaster ;  but  such  a 
loser  in  the  affair  was  the  incog,  that  he  has  never  at- 
tempted to  perpetrate  any  thing  of  the  sort  upon  them 
since. 

The  little  company  had  just  stepped  on  board  of 
a  crowded  steamer.  One,  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
had  just  left  the  captain's  office  after  having  paid  his 
fare,  when  lo !  the  needful  pocket-book  was  missing ! 
No  alternative,  but  that  of  returning,  seemed  left. 

"  Now,"  said  the  incog,  assuming  the  guise  of  the  con- 
sistent reasoner,  "  you  say,  '  All  things  work  together 
for  good.'  What  possible  sort  of  good  is  going  to  come 
of  this  ?  If  that  fifty  dollars  had  accidentally  fallen 
from  the  pocket  of  its  possessor,  it  might  have  dropped 
into  the  hands  of  some  poor,  necessitous  person,  where 
you  might  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  that  it 
had  done  some  good.  But  the  money,  having  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  desperadoes,  will  only  be  consumed  in  riot 
and  wrong.  And  is  not  this  also  enough  to  assure 
you  that  it  is  not  in  the  order  of  God,  that  you  should 
go  on  this  mission  ?  " 

Just  at  this  moment  others  of  the  party  arrived,  when 
the  missing  pocket-book,  and  the  consequent  deficit  of 
needful  funds  for  the  tour,  were  the  theme  of  converse. 
Said  one,  who  had  some  knowledge  of  tactics  in  the  art 


316  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF     THE 


The  defeat  contemplated.  Souls  outweigh  dollars.  New  expedients. 

of  heavenly  warfare,  fearful  that  Satan  might  manage  to 
bring  about  his  contemplated  victory,  u  This  is  the 
way  Satan  manages,  if  he  thinks  the  Lord  is  going  to 
work  ;  then  he  gets  up  something  to  withstand  the 
order  of  God."  From  that  moment  it  was  resolved 
that  the  incog  should  have  more  than  a  defeat,  and  even 
that  capital  should  be  made  out  of  his  depredations.  It 
was  soon  found  that  money  might  be  borrowed,  and  the 
journey  prosecuted. 

Said  one  of  the  party,  from  whom  the  pocket-book 
had  been  stolen,  "  One  soul  outweighs  the  universe  ! 
What  are  fifty  dollars  compared  with  the  salvation  of  one 
soul  ?  If  one  soul  were  unsaved  at  the  farthest  verge 
of  the  universe,  and  it  would  take  every  man,  woman 
and  child  in  America  to  go  to  the  rescue  of  that  soul,  it 
would  be  an  expedition  well  worthy  the  enterprise,  in 
view  of  the  estimate  that  the  Savior  has  placed  upon  the 
soul.  And  now,  by  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
through  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Satan  shall 
be  the  loser  by  this  stratagem." 

Trusting  for  wisdom  in  him,  who  "teacheth  our 
hands  to  war,  and  our  fingers  to  fight,"  she  from  that 
moment  began  to  devise  new  and  more  enlarged  plans 
by  which  to  win  souls  to  Christ.  She  had  accustomed 
herself  to  the  practice  of  being  "in  season  and  out  of 
season,"  but  now  she  devised  expedients  by  which  she 
might  become  more  peculiarly  so. 

Many*  an  opportunity  did  she  make,  during  that  tour, 
which  the  uninitiated  in  the  art  of  soul-saving  might 
not  have  thought  of.     Noiseless,  yet  sometimes  well-nigh 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  317 


Capital  made  out  of  Satan's  depredations.  Meeting  prolonged. 


viewless  as  the  still  wind,  would  she  get  aside  from 
observation,  and  penetrate  into  little  unlooked-for  nooks, 
and,  unseen  by  the  multitude,  labor  with  some  poor 
boatman,  or  straggling  stranger ;  and  often  did  she  wit- 
ness the  falling  tear  and  the  newly-formed  resolve.  We 
do  not  doubt  but  more  than  one  soul  was  induced  to 
turn  to  the  Lord,  through  these  unobserved  out-of-the- 
wav  efforts. 

But  there  was  one  occasion  of  marked  interest  during 
the  tour,  which  made  the  defect,  to  the  eye  of  God, 
angels  and  men,  openly  certain.  It  was  towards  even- 
ing of  an  eventful  day.  Through  well-nigh  an  excess  of 
labor  amid  the  multitude,  and  in  private,  nature  had  be- 
come exceedingly  weary.  A  portion  of  God's  sacramen- 
tal hosts,  having  encamped  in  a  grove  sacred  to  divine 
service,  were  about  closing  up  the  afternoon  meeting. 
It  was  one  of  those  peculiar  pauses,  when,  in  act,  and  in 
look,  each  one  seems  to  say,  that  the  battle  for  the  time 
is  finished.  For  nature  cannot  endure  ceaseless  warfare, 
neither  is  she  called  to  it.  It  was  at  such  a  pause,  that 
the  thought  of  the  abstracted  pocket-book  recurred  with 
force  to  her  mind,  and  she  began  to  desire  now  to  be 
avenged  of  her  adversary.  Immediately  it  was  sug- 
gested, "  Now  make  a  definite  effort  to  win  a  soul  to 
Christ.  Present,  definitely  and  concisely,  to  this  multi- 
tude the  conditions  of  discipleship  ;  just  the  terms  upon 
which  Christ  promises  now  to  receive  the  sinner. 

The  exercises  of  the  meeting  would  have  closed,  but 

she  prolonged  them  by  rising,  and  said,  "  Christ  is  now 

calling  disciples.     He  is  calling  some  one  on  this  ground 
»  27  * 


318  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

The  way  to  Christ.  "  Who  will  come  ?  "  Trophy  of  victory. 

now.  I  will  tell  you  the  conditions  of  discipleship,  and 
then  ask  you,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  whether  you 
will  comply  with  the  terms.  She  then,  pointing  to  the 
cross,  gave  a  concise  exposition  of  the  way  to  come  to 
Jesus  ;  said  that  neither  tears,  nor  the  length  of  time 
spent  in  seeking,  would  merit  acceptance ;  but  that 
Christ  could  accept  and  save  in  half  an  hour  just  as 
well  as  in  half  a  century,  if  there  was  only  a  full  and 
unconditional  compliance  with  the  terms.  She  then 
asked,  in  a  most  emphatic  manner,  "  Who,  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord,  will  come  now  and  comply  with  the  condi- 
tions ?  " 

She  had  scarcely  finished  speaking,  when  some  zeal- 
ous friends  came,  leading  forward  a  fine,  able-bodied 
young  man,  whose  spirit  seemed  deeply  bowed  in  peni- 
tence. They  brought  him  to  the  person  who  had  pro- 
posed  the  inquiry,  exclaiming,  as  they  presented  him, 

(t  Here,  Mrs. ,  this  young  man  says,  he  will  comply 

with  the  conditions  !  "  The  young  man  was  the  son  of 
a  pious  mother,  and  was  not  wholly  uninstructed  in  the 
way  of  life.  He  looked  as  though  he  might  make  a 
noble  champion  on  the  walls  of  Zion.  He  ought  to 
have  been  a  disciple  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  long 
before,  but  never,  till  this  hour,  did  he  decide  to  take 
upon  himself  the  cross  of  Christ.  But  now  he  complied 
with  the  conditions,  and  came  penitently  kneeling  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus.  And  how  long  do  you  think  it  took 
Jesus  to  receive  him  ?  Surely,  not  longer  than  it  took 
him  in  ancient  time  to  receive  a  disciple.  Do  not  think 
we  deal  too  much  in  rapid  conversions,  if  we  tell  you 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  319 

Who  was  the  loser  ?  The  next  step.  Why  you  should  believe. 

that,  in  less  than  an  hour,  he  was  rejoicing  in  conscious 
acceptance. 

And  now  was  not  our  incog  the  loser  ?  Never  after- 
wards did  he  love  to  have  the  missing  pocket-book  men- 
tioned, for  the  very  recollection  was  associated  with 
triumph  and  victory-. 


§o  nnt  jNjfess  Mm  Pu  SWtarc. 


I  have  greatly  desired  that  you  should  hold  fast  the 
beginning  of  your  confidence  steadfast  unto  the  end. 
Unless  I  mistake  your  position,  you  have  come  to  a  point 
where  a  profession  of  your  faith  may,  in  the  order  of 
God,  be  the  next  step.  Of  course,  I  do  not  wish  you  to 
profess  any  thing  that  your  heart  does  not  most  conscien- 
tiously believe.  I  would  rather  that  you  most  thoroughly 
examine  the  foundation  of  your  faith,  so  that  you  may 
be  always  "  ready  to  give  an  answer  to  every  man  that 
asketh  you  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  you  with  meek- 
ness and  fear."  If  you  fulfil  the  condition  upon  which 
God  promises  the  grace  of  entire  sanctification,  then,  by 
the  word  of  the  immutable  Jehovah,  you  are  furnished 
with  reasons  which  may  not  be  controverted,  why  you 
should  be  established  in  the  faith  that  he  now  fulfils  his 
promises  to  you. 


320  ILLUSTRATIONS      UP      THE 


Where  is  your  offering?        First  altar  taken  away.        Where  is  the  second? 


"  This  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanctification." 
In  obedience  to  the  will  of  God,  you  now,  through  the 
power  of  the  Spirit,  set  yourself  apart  wholly  for  God  ; 
or,  in  other  words,  you  now,  through  the  power  of  the 
Spirit,  sanctify  yourself.  By  the  mercies  of  God,  you 
have  been  constrained  to  present  yourself  a  living  sacri- 
fice. Yes,  you  have  been  made  a  priest  unto  God  to 
offer  up  spiritual  sacrifices.  And  upon  what  altar  do 
you  thus,  by  the  power  of  God,  present  yourself?  Not 
upon  the  altar  of  those  who  serve  the  tabernacle ;  for 
that,  though  at  first  ordained  to  be  an  altar  most  holy,  has 
long  since,  by  the  will  of  God,  been  taken  away. 
Christ  himself  has  taken  it  away.  "  He  taketh  away 
the  first"  and  what  for  ?  "  That  he  may  establish  the 
second."  And  where  is  the  second  to  be  found  ?  Christ 
answers,  "For  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself."  As 
though  he  said,  "  That  altar  of  which,  in  former  time, 
it  was  said,  Thou  shalt  cleanse  the  altar  when  thou 
hast  made  an  atonement  for  it,  and  thou  shalt  anoint  it 
to  sanctify  it ;  seven  days  shalt  thou  make  an  atonement 
for  the  altar,  and  sanctify  it,  and  it  shall  be  an  altar  most 
holy  ;  whatsoever'  toucheth  the  altar  shall  be  holy," — 
this  altar,  which,  by  the  will  of  my  Father,  was  or- 
dained to  be  an  altar  so  holy  that  whatsoever  was  laid 
upon  it  was  sanctified,  I  now  take  away.  And  "  for 
their  sakes,"  that  is,  for  the  reception  of  the  offerings 
of  my  people,  I  set  myself  apart ;  or,  in  other  words, 
I  sanctify  myself  for  the  reception  of  the  sacrifices  of 
my  people.  And  now  we  are  sanctified  through  the 
offering  of  the  body  of  Christ."     Here  is  the  altar,  of 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  321 

Christian's  altar.  Offerings  acceptable  through  Christ. 

which  they  who  servo  the  tabernacle  have  no  right  to 
eat.  "  He  establisheth  the  second  " — glory  be  to  God  in 
the  highest !  You,  my  brother,  have  found  the  Chris- 
tian's altar.  Not  only  have  you  found  the  altar,  but 
already  you  say  that  you  have  laid  your  sacrifice  upon  it. 
If  whatsoever  touched  the  first  altar  was,  by  its  hallow- 
ing touch,  sanctified,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  second  ? 
"  If  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats,  and  the  ashes  of  a 
heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean,  sanctifieth  to  the  purify- 
ing of  the  flesh,  how  much  more  shall  the  blood  of 
Christ,  who,  through  the  eternal  Spirit,  offered  himself 
without  spot  to  God,  purge  your  conscience  from  dead 
works  to  serve  the  living  God  !  "  And  now,  my  brother, 
do  you  say  that  you  present  your  body  a  living  (that  is, 
a  continual,)  sacrifice,  and  yet,  would  you  dare  to  say, 
that  you  do  not,  in  heart,  believe  that  the  offering  is  hohj, 
acceptable  ?  How  presumptuous  to  doubt  a  truth  so  evi- 
dent !  The  Faithful  and  True  hath  said  it,  and, 
surely,  you  are  not  at  liberty  to  say  whether  you  will 
believe  it.     What  temerity  to  doubt  it ! 

Do  you,  indeed,  present  the  sacrifice  ?  Now,  brother, 
let  this  matter  be  forever  decided.  I  entreat  that  the 
decision  be  made  before  you  lay  this  book  aside.  In 
coming  to  this  decision,  you  certainly  have  no  new 
vows  to  make,  in  order  to  bind  yourself  to  the  most 
absolute,  unreserved,  and  perpetual  surrender  to  God. 
Already  have  you  lifted  your  head  to  God,  and  you 
cannot  go  back.  Not  to  recognize  these  vows  now,  and 
knowingly  to  present  something  less  than  an  entire  sac- 
rifice, would  leave    you   in    a    state    of  condemnation. 


SV2°Z  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

An  express  declaration.  Unbelief  a  sin.  The  vow  noted  down. 

How  can  you  be  justified  before  God,  if  you  do  not 
respond  to  every  known  call  of  duty  ?  "  To  him  that 
knoweth  to  do  good,  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin." 

Doubtless  you  are  still  enabled  to  say  truthfully,  I  do 
indeed,  through  the  aid  of  almighty  grace,  present  all  to 
God  through  Christ.  That  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth 
from  all  unrighteousness,  is  an  express  declaration  of 
the  word  of  God,  a  truth  to  be  believed,  and,  therefore, 
sinful  to  doubt.  It  is  through  the  blood  of  Christ,  that 
we  enter  into  the  holiest.  If  you  present  yourself 
wholly  through  Christ  now,  you  are  commanded  to 
believe  noiv  ;  for  "  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all 
sin  "  j  and  you  cannot  doubt  without  sin — "  He  that 
belie veth  not  maketh  God  a  liar " !  What  an  awful 
alternative  ! 

If  your  faith  was  to  depend  on  your  variable  feelings, 
instead  of  the  word  of  God,  the  hope  of  being  without 
variablenes  would  be  small.  But  can  you  not  make  up 
your  mind  to  believe  God  irrespective  of  your  feelings  ? 
In  the  name  of  the  Lord,  I  ask  whether  you  will  not 
now  resolve  to  live  a  life  of  faith ;  for  it  is  written, 
"  The  just  shall  live  by  faith."    Say  now,  with  the  poet, 

"  Through  unbelief  I  stagger  not, 
For  God  hath  spoke  the  word." 

Over  and  again  have  you  lifted  your  hand  to  God  in 
regard  to  this  duty  of  believing.  "  I  will  now  trust  in 
thee  as  my  'present  Savior  from  all  sin,"  you  have  said, 
while  the  recording  angel  stood  and  noted  down  the 
vow    from    your    lips.     The  fruit    of    faith   was     soon 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  3£3 

Precious  legacy.        Don't  regard  it  lightly.        What  definite  blessings  demand. 

enjoyed.  The  peace  of  God,  the  precious  legacy  left  by 
Jesus  to  his  disciples,  was  given  you.  But  you  do  not 
seem  quite  satisfied  with  this,  and  because  your  eager 
cravings  for  something  more  are  not  met,  I  fear  you  are 
in  danger  of  sinning  after  the  similitude  of  those  ancient 
ones  who,  while  they  were  miraculously  fed  with  bread 
directly  from  heaven,  dared  to  say,  "  Our  soul  loatheth 
this  light  food."  Do  not  forget  that  God  says,  u  If  any 
man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  no  pleasure  in  him." 
I  trust  you  still  believe  with  your  heart ;  if  so,  the  duty 
of  professing  your  faith  is  as  plain  as  the  Bible  can  make 
it.  But  I  need  not  repeat  that  to  confess  with  your 
mouth  before  you  believe  in  your  heart,  is  reversing  the 
order  of  God,  and  palpably  wrong.  And  now,  brother, 
resolutely  believe,  and  then  "  hold  fast  the  profession  of 
our  faith,  (not  feelings,)  without  wavering,  for  he  is  faith- 
ful that  promised." 


i«m 


Jl  *$m  dpmrclt  on  |tfjgM  |rmripte* 


And  how  do  those  who  have  received  full  salvation 
endure?  Are  they  faithful  witnesses  for  Jesus? 
Definite  blessings  always  require  definite  acknowledg- 
ments. "  Ye  are  my  witnesses,  saith  the  Lord."  You 
have  commenced  a  new  church,  and  I  do  not  doubt  but 
tbat   holiness,  in  its   distinct   utterances,  shall  be  the 


324  ILLUtTitATIGNS      OF      THE 

What  our  friends  are  entitled  to  see.  Confession — the  life  and  the  lips. 

acknowledged  impulse,  from  which  it  shall  rise,  and 
gather  strong  and  imperishable  influences,  so  that  it 
shall  be  in  ever-during  remembrance  before  God,  from 
the  fact  that  this  and  that  man  were  born  there.  This,  as 
Mr.  Wesley  says,  is  the  Methodist  testimony.  To  the 
degree  this  is  observed,  Methodism  prospers ;  where  it 
is  not  observed,  Methodism  does  not  prosper.     To  my 

mind  it  is   seemly  that  Mr.  ,  and  those  other  good 

friends,  of  various  denominations,  who  have  so  kindly 
and  largely  assisted  in  rearing  a  Methodist  Church, 
should  see  an  exemplification  of  this,  the  distinguishing 
doctrine  of  Methodism,  in  the  lives  and  from  the  lips 
of  those  who  compose  the  membership  of  this  new 
church.  We  of  course  cannot  present  in  our  lives,  what 
we  have  not  experimentally  apprehended  in  our  hearts. 
Yet  what  we  believe  in  our  hearts,  must  be  confessed 
with  our  lips,  for,  "  With  the  heart  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made 
unto  salvation."  The  order  of  God  must  be  obeyed,  or 
the  salvation  cannot  be  attained  or  retained. 

By  a  due  attention  to  the  doctrine  and  experience  of 
this  grace,  God  will  be  glorified.  Holiness  has  its 
beauties.  It  captivates,  and,  by  a  sweet,  winning,  yet 
all-powerful  persuasiveness^  brings  ove;  to  its  ranks  the 
truly  good,  of  whatever  name  or  denomination.  It  is  a 
doctrine  of  the  Bible,  and  not  merely  the  doctrine  of  a 
sect,  as  some  imagine.  Uzziah  was  signally  reproved 
for  steadying  the  ark.  The  Lord  WGuld  not  have  us 
unduly  careful  in  guarding  this  doctrine  from  the  obser- 
vations of  other  denominations.      It  is  just  what  they 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  3UZ0 


The  creed  and  the  life.        Not  forty  years'  journey        The  lawyer  and  hia  Kiother. 

have  a  right  to  expect  of  us,  and,  if  they  do  not  see  the 
various  exemplifications  of  this  grace  in  our  lives,  and 
hear  corresponding  testimonies  from  our  lips,  they  have 
a  right  to  regard  us  as  inconsistent  with  our  profession 
of  belief  and  views  of  privilege.  But,  O,  the  power 
of  inward  and  outward  holiness !  It  makes  an  indi- 
vidual just  what  God,  in  redeeming  us,  designed  we 
should  be, — so  unselfish,  so  lovely,  and  so  mighty 
through  the  Spirit.  And  now,  as  the  first-fruits  of 
holiness,  the  Lord  has  given  you  several  young  con- 
verts. Do  you  remember  just  how  the  germ  was  thrown 
in?  —  the  sister  that  received  the  blessing  of  holiness, 
and  then  the  speedy  conversion  of  her  husband  ?  Well, 
then,  we  will  thank  God  that  it  is  not  a  forty  years' 
journey  from  Egypt  to  Canaan.  The  young  converts 
which  the  Lord  has  committed  to  the  guardianship  of 
your  young  church,  may  be  holy,  and  should  at  once 
be  directed  to  seek  earnestly  for  this  attainment. 


"  J  gmt't  IQtXxmt  in  golhwsa " 


Said  a  young  man  who  was  a  lawyer,  and  whose  pro- 
pensities seemed  ever  inclining  him  to  go  from  cause  to 
effect,  "  Mother,  I  don't  believe  in  holiness.1 

28 


99 


326  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Logical  deduction.  A  mother's  hopes  disappointed  through  her  own  failure. 


a 


Don't   believe  in   holiness  !  "  exclaimed    the  pious 
mother ;   "  why,  my  son,  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say,  mother  ;  I  do  not  believe  in 
holiness." 

"  You  believe  the  Bible,"  said  the  astonished  mother, 
"  and  you  know,  my  son,  the  Bible  speaks  of  holiness. 
Surely,  you  believe  the  Bible  ?  " 

"Yes,  mother,  I  believe  the  Bible,  but  I  do  not 
believe  in  holiness." 

"  Why,  my  son,  what  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  I  will  tell  you,  mother,  just  what  I  mean.  Ever 
since  I  can  remember,  you  have  been  praying  for  holi- 
ness ;  and  if  there  were  any  such  thing  as  holiness  to 
be  attained,  I  am  sure  you  would  have  had  it  long 
before  now ;  and,  therefore,  I  do  not  believe  that  there 
is  any  such  thing  as  holiness." 

We  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  amazement  of 
that  mother.  From  the  earliest  infancy  of  her  son,  she 
had  set  him  apart  for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary.  And 
her  highest  hopes  would  have  been  answered  if  he,  in 
early  life,  might  have  answered  to  the  call  of  God  as  did 
Samuel.  But  she  had  seen  his  fine  intellect  maturing 
in  strength,  clear  and  penetrating  as  a  sunbeam,  quick 
to  detect  error,  and  strong  to  attract,  and  concentrate 
others  under  its  influence,  yet  not  inclining  him  to  dis- 
cern the  right  way  of  the  Lord,  nor  to  lead  others  into 
it.  And  now  to  hear  him  express  his  scepticism  in 
relation  to  one  of  the  cardinal  doctrines  of  the  Bible, 
and  to  know  that  her  own  failure  in  coming  up  to  the 
Christian  standard  had  been  made  the  occasion  o^  these 
sceptical  expressions,  was  too  much. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  3°21 


The  class-room.  What  the  leader  did  not  do.  The  secret  of  the  failure. 

On  the  ensuing  class-afternoon,  she  hastened  to  the 
class-room,  and  unburdened  her  heavy  heart  to  her 
class-leader.  Her  leader  was  one  who  professed  to 
enjoy  the  blessed  consciousness  that  the  blood  of  Christ 
cleanseth  from  all  sin  ;  and,  after  this  dear  mother  rela- 
ted the  foregoing  conversation,  she  felt  deeply  for  her 
class-member. 

But  she  did  not  try  to  make  less  poignant  the  keen 
conviction  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  the  necessity  of  pres- 
ent holiness  which,  by  this  occurrence,  had  been 
wrought  in  her  heart.  Her  class-leader  admitted  that 
the  occurrence  was  calculated  to  reprove  seriously,  and 
admonished  her  to  set  about  seeking  the  witness  of  the 
blessing  at  once — assuring  her  that  the  blessing  had 
already  been  purchased  for  her.  When  Christ  bowed 
his  head  upon  the  cross,  and  said,  "  It  is  finished,"  then 
salvation  from  all  sin,  a  redemption  from  all  iniquity, 
was  wrought  out ;  and  how  the  blessing,  as  it  had  been 
purchased  for  her,  was  already  hers,  in  case  she  com- 
plied with  the  condition  upon  which  it  was  offered. 

This  reproved  mother  found,  on  surveying  what  had 
been  her  position  for  years,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had 
induced  a  willingness  to  be  holy ;  she  also  saw  that,  by 
the  Spirit's  aid,  she  had  been  enabled  to  consecrate  her- 
self; but  the  difficulty  with  her  had  been,  that,  after 
she  had  consecrated  herself,  she  did  not  take  the  next 
step  in  the  purifying  process,  and  believe  that  God  at 
that  moment  accepted  the  consecration.  She  saw  that, 
during  all  these  years,  she  might  have  believed ;  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  had  brought  her  to  the  point  where  it 


328  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  command  not  obeyed.  The  difficulty  apprehended  and  removed. 

was  not  left  optional  with,  herself,  whether  she  would 
believe,  but  where  the  command  met  her,  "  This  is  the 
command  of  God,  that  ye  believe  ;"  and  that  her  refusing 
to  believe  on  the  authority  of  God's  word,  without  signs 
or  wonders,  had  greatly  grieved  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
brought  upon  her  the  merited  rebuke.  What  she  had 
been  wanting  was  the  witness  first  before  believing. 
But  now  she  saw  that  the  witness  came  through  believ- 
ing, not  antecedently — "  He  that  believeth  hath  the 
witness  in  himself."  She  had  often  united  in  the 
words  : — 

"  I  cannot  wash  my  heart. 
But  by  believing  thee ;  " 

and,  had  she  acted  on  the  principle  involved  in  the 
words,  she  might  long  before  have  been  cleansed  from 
all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit — sanctified  through 
the  belief  of  the  truth.  But  now  she  brought  it  to  a 
point  to  believe  at  once,  irrespective  of  emotion ; 
resolved  that  she  would  not  grieve  the  Spirit  by  per- 
mitting her  views  of  the  faithfulness  of  God  to  depend 
upon  her  uncertain  emotions.  She  did  believe,  and, 
since  that  time,  she  has  been  a  faithful  witness  of  the 
power  of  Christ  to  save  from  all  sin. 

CONVERSION  OF  SINNERS  AND  SANCTIFICATION  OF  BELIEVERS. 

Some  might  be  disposed  to  dispute  the  point  with  us, 
were  we  to  venture  an  opinion  that  this  son  might  have 
been,  perhaps,  sooner  converted  if  this  mother  had 
sooner  received  the  full  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
We  wilJ   not   say  so,  but  will  remind  those  who  would 


ECONOMY      OF      SALTATION.  3&9 


YFhere  judgment  must  begin.  United  prayer  for  the  lawyer. 


question,  that  the  early  disciples  received  far  greater 
power  after  they  received  the  full  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  And  it  is  written,  "  Judgment  must  begin  at 
the  house  of  God."  We  have  known  very  marked 
cases  other  than  the  one  we  are  just  now  about  to  pre- 
sent, where  the  conversion  of  dear  ones,  though  long 
prayed  for,  was  delayed  till  after  the  pleader  had  receiv- 
ed that  power  from  on  high  which  the  full  baptism  of 
the  Spirit  brings.  But  we  will  tell  how  it  was  in  this 
case,  and  then,  if  the  patience  of  the  reader  holds  out, 
we  may  mention  other  corroborative  cases. 

Before  this  mother,  and  her  friend,  the  class-leader, 
had  left  the  class-room,  they  resolved  to  unite  in  pray- 
ing that  the  Lord  would  convert  the  son.  "  He  is, 
indeed,  too  bright  a  sinner  for  Satan  to  have  ;  and  so 
we'll  does  he  understand  Christian  obligation,  that  I 
think  he  would  make  a  bright,  useful  Christian,  if 
only  thoroughly  converted,"  said  the  class-leader  ; 
and  farther  observed,  "  Let  us  pray  that  the  Lord 
will  convert  and  make  a  minister  of  him,  if  it  be  his 
will."  The  plan  was  agreed  upon,  and  the  friends 
p?.rtr.J\ 

It  w«.f  but  a  short  time  afterwards  that  the  son  return- 
ed, aftc-:'  having  spent  the  Sabbath  with  a  brother-in-law, 
a  short  distance  in  the  country.  That  Sabbath  had  been, 
with  tb ;,  mother,  a  day  of  more  than  ordinary  trial  from 
the  buffetings  of  the  adversary.  "  He  has  gone  from  un- 
der ministrations,  which  would  be  likely  to  be  service- 
able to  him,  to  mingle  with  society  which  may  dissipate 
from   his  mind  awakening   influences,  if  he   has  any." 


330  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  mother's  temptations.        A  joyful  surprise.        The  alternative.        Decision. 


So  said  the  tempter,  and  the  day  was  spent  amid  con- 
flict ;  yet  faith,  though  assailed,  did  not  yield. 

"  Mother,  what  could  I  tell  you  that  would  give  you 
the  most  pleasure  ?  "  said  the  son  on  the  following  day, 
as  he  approached  his  mother,  with  his  face  beaming  with 
smiles. 

u  My  son,  you  need  not  ask  me  ;  you  know  that  you 
could  not  give  your  mother  greater  pleasure  than 
by  telling  her  that  you  had  given  your  heart  to  the 
Lord." 

"  Well,  mother,  that  is  just  what  I  have  been  doing.** 

The  astonished  mother  could  hardly  believe  for  very 
joy,  when  the  son  thus  narrated  the  circumstances  of  his 
conversion. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  previous,  he  heard  a  ser- 
mon on  the  importance  of  decision.  It  was  not  the 
novelty  of  the  truths  uttered  that  arrested  attention ; 
but  it  was  the  Spirit  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of  faith 
that  gave  edge  to  the  truth.  Yes,  it  was  the  sword  of 
the  Spirit  that  penetrated ;  and  he  now  saw  thai:  ',he 
time  had  come  when  he  must  either  decide  for  God,  or 
lose  his  soul.  If  he  decided  for  God,  he  felt  ttfit  he 
must  preach  the  gospel.  And  here  was  a  struggle 
between  his  own  will  and  what  he  believed  to  be  a 
divine  requirement.  He  loved  the  practice  of  law, 
and  saw  preferment  before  him.  But,  to  hold  out 
against  what  he  believed  to  be  the  will  of  God,  he  felt 
would  be  to  lose  his  soul.  He  counted  the  cost,  and 
decided  for  God. 

The  day  of  the  Lord  is  near  in  the  valley  of  decis- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  33 1 


Deeply  convicted.      A  midnight  conversion.      Thirteen  years,  and  not  converted  yet 

ion."  As  he  made  the  decision,  he  took  a  step  nearer 
to  God.  "  Draw  nigh  unto  God,  and  he  will  draw 
nigh  unto  you,"  was  exemplified  in  his  experience,  as  is 
ever  the  case  with  every  sinner.  He  now  saw  himself 
to  be  a  sinner — and  such  a  sinner  !  He  struggled  on  till 
night,  every  moment  his  burden  becoming  yet  more  intol- 
erable. He  retired.  But  so  great  was  the  load  on  his 
heart  that  sleep  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  His  brother- 
in-law,  who  holds  the  office  of  judge  in  one  of  our  city 
courts,  being  probably  the  only  one  in  the  house  who 
could  sympathize,  our  friend  rose  in  the  middle  of  the 
night,  and  went  to  his  room,  and  asked  if  he  would  rise 
and  pray  for  him.  The  judge  could  not  refuse,  but,  per- 
haps, would  have  been  more  at  home  on  the  bench  try- 
ing a  criminal.  But  he  rose,  and  wept,  and  prayed  with 
the  penitent,  till  the  Savior  manifested  himself  to  take 
away  sin,  and  the  redeemed,  saved  sinner  could  exclaim, 

"  My  dungeon  shook,  my  soul  was  free; 
I  rose,  went  forth,  and  followed  thee." 

And  thus  was  the  happy  tale  told,  and  son  and 
mother  went  on  their  way  rejoicing. 

THE   CONVERSION   OE    A   HUSBAND    DELAYED. 

And  now  let  me  tell  of  a  wife  who  was  one  of  my 
dearest  friends.  Thirteen  years  had  she  been  wedded  to 
one  who  had  never  given  his  heart's  best  affections  to  the 
Savior.  Often  did  she  pray  and  agonize  for  his  conver- 
sion, and  well-nigh  as  often  had  it  been  suggested  to  her 
mind,  "  Get  the  full    baptism  of  the   Holy  Ghost,  and 


532  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

What  has  that  to  do  with  it?      The  sermon.      Intending  and  doing,  two  things. 


tiie  Lord  will  convert  your  husband.1'  She  did  not 
mean  to  be  disobedient  to  the  voice  of  the  Spirit ;  yet, 
without  scarcely  intending  to  do  so,  she  did  slight  its 
influences.  "  And  what  can  that  have  to  do  with  the 
conversion  of  my  husband  ? "  was  the  thought  with 
which  she  turned  aside  the  Spirit's  urgings. 

She  had  long  believed  that  she  would  be  more  useful 
if  she  enjoyed  that  blessing,  and  had  left  the  denomina- 
tion to  which  she  attached  herself  on  first  commencing 
her  religious  career,  in  order  to  unite  with  a  people  who 
believed  this  blessing  attainable.  Yet,  though  she  had 
so  long  known  of  her  high  and  holy  calling,  and  desired 
the  grace,  yet  she  never  once  brought  her  mind  to  the 
decision,  "  I  will  have  the  blessing,  and  have  it  novj" 
till  hearing  a  minister  from  the  sacred  desk  say, 
"Not  only  from  this  blessed  Bible  do  I  proclaim  this 
blessing  as  your  privilege,  but  from  my  heart  do  I  pro- 
claim it ;  for  I  feel  that  I  have  it  all  here ! "  That 
moment,  she  resolved  that  she  would  have  it,  and,  in 
a  few  hours,  she  was  rejoicing  in  possession  of  the 
grace.  It  is  not  written,  "  If  any  man  intends  to  do  the 
will  of  God,  he  shall  know  of  the  doctrine ;  "  but, 
"  If  any  man  will  do  the  will  of  God,  he  shall  know  of 
the  doctrine."  And  how  quickly,  after  it  was  her  will 
to  be  wholly  sanctified,  did  she  receive  the  blessing  ! 
It  had  long  been  God's  will.  She  had  probably,  hun- 
dreds of  times,  read,  "  This  is  the  will  of  God,  even 
your  sanctification ; "  and  now  just  so  soon  as  it  was  her 
will  to  be  wholly  sanctified,  how  soon  the  work  was 
accomplished ! 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  333 

The  captain's  conversion.         The  explanation.         Not  the  philosophy,  but  the  fact. 

Her  husband,  who  had  the  command  of  a  vessel,  was 
absent  at  the  time  when  the  beloved  of  his  heart  received 
this  full  baptism  of  the  Spirit  ;  but,  on  his  return, 
which  was  within  a  few  days,  he  could  not  but  observe 
that  grace  had  made  a  complete  renovation.  His  heart 
was  arrested.  He  accompanied  her  to  the  house  of 
God.  When  an  invitation  was  extended  to  those  who 
had  resolved  to  seek  the  Lord,  her  husband  quickly 
responded,  and  from  that  hour  became  a  follower  of  the 
Savior. 

So  noiseless  and  unexpected,  and  yet  so  decisive, 
was  this  movement  on  the  part  of  her  husband,  that 
my  friend  with  amazement  thought,  "  What  can  this 
mean  ? "  when,  suddenly  as  a  flash,  it  was  suggested, 
"  Did  not  the  Holy  Spirit  long  since  assure  you,  that,  if 
you  would  get  the  full  baptism,  your  husband  would 
be  converted  ?  " 

We  will  not  pause  to  inquire  why  the  special  influ- 
ence of  the  Spirit  was  withheld  from  that  husband  on 
account  of  the  spiritual  deficiencies  of  that  wife.  As 
well  might  the  early  disciples  have  asked  why  it  were 
needful  that  they  should  tarry  at  Jerusalem  till  endued 
with  power  from  on  high.  And,  had  they  been  resolved 
on  not  waiting,  inwardly  questioning,  "  Why,  what 
can  that  have  to  do  with  the  conversion  of  the  world  ?  " 
is  it  probable  that  the  special  influences  of  the  Spirit 
would  have  been  given,  resulting  in  the  conversion  of 
three  thousand  in  one  day  ?  O,  would  the  whole 
church  act  upcn  this  principle,  what  glorious  results 
■night  b*  realized  ! 


3S4  II  LUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


i.  voungwifc  sanctified,  and  a  husband  converted.       The  prerequisite  of  usefulness 


1  related  the  preceding  narrative  to  a  lovely  young 
wife,  whose  hueband  was  unconverted.  "Now  get  this 
blessing,"  I  observed,  "  and  I  do  not  doubt  but  the 
Lord  will  hear  your  prayers  for  the  conversion  of  your 
husband."  She  sought  for  and  obtained  the  grace,  and 
the  next  I  heard  from  her  was  that  the  Lord  had  con- 
verted her  husband.  She  was  gathered  from  the  circle 
of  influence  and  wealth,  and  has  become  eminently  a 
burning  and  a  shining  light.  Her  husband  is  also  one 
of  the  Lord's  noblemen. 

Now,  do  not  understand  me  to  mean  that  no  one  can 
be  in  any  degree  useful  unless  clear  in  the  experience 
of  entire  sanctification  ;  but  do  understand  me  to 
say,  that  the  sanctified  believer,  cleansed  from  all 
filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  is  calculated  to  be  far 
more  useful.  And,  if  you  want  the  Lord  to  use  you  in 
the  conversion  of  the  members  of  your  household  and 
others,  get  wholly  sanctified.  Resolve  that  you  will  not 
live  another  day  without  it.  If  you  want  to  get  the 
blessing  in  God's  time,  get  it  now ;  for  "  Now  is  the 
accepted  time  ;  behold,  now  is  day  of  salvation." 

Art  thou  a  Christian?    Dost  thou  say  thou  art? 

High  is  thy  destination :  0,  act  well  thy  part, 

And  be  Christ-like,  and  follow  thy  great  Head, 

In  all  things  hear  his  voice;  and,  by  that  voice,  be  led 

Though,  at  his  requisitions,  shrinking  nature  tremble, 

Still  follow  on,  in  all  things  Christ  resemble. 

Art  thou  a  Christian?  does  a  luring  spell, 

A  halo  of  bright  glory,  round  thee  dwell? 

Where  all  the  Christ-like  graces  so  combine, 

As  speak  thy  high  relationship  divine, 

Whi^h,  as  a  holy  charm,  bids  wondering  gazers  tremble, 

Gentle,  and  good,  and  meek,  thy  Christ  resemble. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  335 


Inspiration  of  heroic  example.  Duty  of  showing  others  the  way. 


^hjw  the  Jfiwt  (Parts. 


RELATION  OF  CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE- 


If  I  were  required  to  plant  my  feet  on  a  lofty  emi- 
nence, the  ascent  to  which  seemed  steep  and  rugged,  1 
might,  perhaps,  with  discouragement  and  perplexity, 
shrink  away  from  meeting  the  requirement.  But  show  me 
one  who  has  once  made  the  ascent — point  me  to  the  foot- 
marks where  he  firmly  planted  his  feet  in  his  upward 
flight,  and  I  am  more  than  satisfied.  Courage  and  faith 
in  a  moment  inspire  my  soul — perplexities  vanish. 
Buoyant  with  hope,  I  rapidly  make  the  ascent,  and 
inspiringly  call  to  those  still  lingering  at  the  base,  "  We 
are  well  able  to  go  up."     "  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in 


it." 


Many   are  lingering   at  the  foot  of  Zion's  hill,  aye, 
multitudes  are  there,  for 


"  Wisdom  shows  a  narrow  path, 
With  here  and  there  a  traveller." 


Are  you  among  those  who  are  ascending,  and  are  the 
marks  by  which  you  ascend  those  which  are  clearly 
traced  in  the  word  of  God  ?  Then  you  can,  with  the 
holy  heroism  of  David,  exclaim,  "  He  hath  set  my  feet 
upon  a  rock,  and  established  my  goings.  And  he  hath 
put  a  new  song  in  my  mouth,  even  praises  to  our  God  ; 
many  shall  see  it  and  fear,  and  shall  trust  in  the  Lord." 

And  now  I  need  not  tell  you  of  the  reasonableness  of 
being  at  much  pains  to  show  othei  s,  who  would  ascend 


336  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Many  lingering  at  the  base.  Tell  your  experience.  David.  Paul. 


the  footmarks  by  which  you  ascended.  You  see  so 
many  still  faltering.  Their  feet  have,  indeed,  been  taken 
out  of  the  "  horrible  pit  "  and  out  of  "  the  miry  clay  ; " 
but  they  are  lingering  on  their  way  to  Zion's  Mount, 
ere  they  have  scarcely  begun  to  make  the  ascent.  And 
your  great  Deliverer  has  caused  the  eyes  of  multitudes 
to  be  fixed  on  you,  in  order  that  you  may  illustrate  the 
way  by  which  you  have  experimentally  tested  the  solidity 
of  those  footmarks  by  which  you  have  thus  far  ascended. 
You  cannot  illustrate  scriptural  truth  more  instructively, 
or  more  inspiringly,  than  by  your  'personal  realizations. 
How  often,  or  rather  how  continuously,  did  David,  and 
other  Old  Testament  saints,  and  also  Paul,  and  other  New 
Testament  saints,  give  force  and  illustration  to  their 
scriptural  teachings,  by  reciting  their  own  experiences ! 
Again  and  again,  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
is  it  repeated,  "Ye  are  my  witnesses."  "We  speak 
that  we  do  know,  and  testify  that  we  have  seen."  Other 
testimony  than  that  given  from  personal  knowledge,  is 
not  valid  in  civil  jurisprudence.  And  such  testimony 
does  our  heavenly  Lawgiver  and  Judge  require  of  those 
whom  he  calls  forth  as  his  witnesses  before  a  gainsaying 
world. 

The  King's  highway !  how  narrow  is  the  road ! 
How  few  there  are  who  find  it !  yet  the  abode 
Of  God,  the  Christian's  home,  lies  at  its  end ; 
And  none  can  reach  the  goal,  but  they  who  bend, 
With  purpose  all  unwavering,  steady,  true, 
laid  step  undaunted,  thoug-h  all  hell  pursue. 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  337 

Not  at  liberty  to  withhold.        The  surrender  entire.        Suspicious  symptom. 


8  <ft*trmmc*  m  mi  Utjj  ©am. 


"  My  experience  is  not  my  own.  God  has  given  it, 
and  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  withhold  it."  So  said  a 
lovely  and  intelligent  Christian  lady,  who  had  received, 
through  Christ,  the  blessed  gift  of  a  pure  heart.  The 
Lord  had  given  her  abilities  to  shine  in  the  social  circle, 
and  she  had  not  been  among  the  unnoticed  amid  scenes 
where  refinement,  intellect,  wealth  and  fashion  preside. 
But  she  had  counted  the  cost  of  giving  up  all  things 
not  consistent  with  Christian  simplicity ;  and,  with 
Hester  Ann  Rodgers,  and  other  Christian  heroines,  she 
gave  evident  manifestations  that  she  had  renounced  the 
spirit  of  the  world  by  coming  out  from  the  world  to  be 
separate.  God,  as  ever,  when  the  conditions  upon  which 
he  promises  to  sanctify  wholly  are  fulfilled,  set  his  seal 
to  the  work,  and  she  now  had  an  experimental  knowl- 
edge of  the  blessedness  of  entire  sanctification.  It  was 
of  this  experience  that  she  had  now  been  asked  to  speak, 
and  to  which  request  she  meekly  rose  and  said,  "  My 
experience  is  not  my  own"  She  then  gave  a  recital  of 
the  process  by  which  she  through  the  Spirit  had  been 
wholly  sanctified.  We  always  suspect  those  who  never 
tell  their  own  experience  on  this  subject,  and  exert  a 
dissuasive  influence  on  others  in  relation  to  this  testi- 
mony, that  they  either  never  had,  or  have  lost,  the 
experience  of  this  grace.  No  one  ever  received  it  but 
as  a  gift  from  God.     God's  gifts  must  be  diffused  or  lost. 


29 


338  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Testimony  of  a  missionary.  Prays  in  the  barn  all  night. 

And  no  one  enjoying  this  grace,  but  will  testify  to  the 
truth  of  this.  A  light  put  under  a  bushel  goes  out, 
and  then  it  neither  enlightens  ourselves  nor  others. 


« m*m  * 


Wat  Wioxi  of  their  Stetimong- 


"  One  great  means  of  retaining  what  God  has  given,  is  to  labor  to  bring  others  into 
this  grace,  and  to' profess  it  to  all  mankind." — Wesley. 

Among  other  testimonies  not  to  be  for- 
gotten, given  in  at  the  Tuesday  meeting,  was  that  of 
our  excellent  missionary  now  laboring  at  the  Five  Points. 
All  that  know  him  speak  of  him  as  a  good  man,  full  of 
faith  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  He  has  been  very  successful 
at  every  point  where  he  has  labored  since  he  entered  the 
ministry.  His  success  is  doubtless  attributable  to  the 
spirit  of  inward  holiness  that  possesses  his  heart.  It 
was  not  long  after  his  powerful  conversion  that  he  felt 
an  earnest  longing  for  the  witness  of  inward  purity. 
One  night,  he  retired  to  a  barn,  resolved  to  wrestle  with 
the  angel  of  the  covenant,  until  the  blessing  was  given. 
I  think  it  was  about  the  break  of  day  before  he  was  able 
to  leave.  He  had  prevailed,  and  such  were  the  over- 
powering effects  of  grace  that  it  was  long  before  he  felt 
that  he  could  leave  the  place.  On  his  return,  he  met  a 
friend  who  was  sceptical  in  relation  to  the  subject  of 

perfect  love.     Brother did   not  dare  to  hide  the 

righteousness  of  God   within  his  heart,  but  boldly  de- 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  339 


Declaration.      Doubt.      Challenge.      Twelve  colliers  saved.      A  Baptist  brother. 


clared  what  God  had  done  for  his  soul.  His  friend 
looked  sceptical,  but  he  said,  "  If  you  do  not  believe 
me,  you  may  eye  me  closely,  and  you  will  see  the  fruit." 
Thus  he  overcame  his  sceptical  friend,  even  by  the 
ancient  way.  It  was  not  only  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb, 
but  by  the  word  of  their  testimony,  that  the  ancient 
worthies  overcame.     And  now  the  unbelief  of  Brother 

's   sceptical  friend  was   overcome.     He  wondered, 

wept,  and  believed,  and  soon  himself  became  an  exper- 
imental witness  of  the  same  grace. 

Not  long  after  this,  Brother ,  with  his  heart  filled 

to  overflowing  with  the  burning,  purifying  love  of  Jesus, 
was  thrown  in  with  a  company  of  wicked  colliers.  Out 
of  the  abundance  of  his  heart,  be  began  to  talk  to  them 
of  his  own  realizations  of  the  power  of  Christ  to  save  to 
the  uttermost.  On  hearing  of  that  holiness  "without 
which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord,"  they  began  to  feel  the 
startling  force  of  the  truth,  "If  the  righteous  scarcely 
be  saved,  where  shall  the  ungodly  and  the  sinner  ap- 
pear ?  "  And  here  again,  in  a  signal  manner,  the  Lord 
set  the  seal  of  his  approval  to  the  testimony.  Twelve 
of  those  rough,  hardened  colliers  were  overcome  by  this 
word  of  testimony.  They  sought  mercy,  and  never 
rested  till  they  found  redemption  through  Christ. 

A  Baptist  brother  from  Rhode  Island,  who,  I  believe, 

is  a  minister,  rose  after  Brother had  given  in  his 

testimony,  and  said  that  he  had  been  enabled,  a  few 
months  since,  to  receive  Christ  as  his  Savior  from  all  sin. 
Bat.  *or  several  weeks  his  evidence  of  that  grace  had 
0€<jl  dimmed.     The  cause  of  this  had  not  been  clear  to 


3-10  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Iu  dr.r,  jtss  from  yielding.        Light  bursts  forth.        A  Congregational  minister. 


his  mind  till,  on  hearing  the  testimony  of  Brother , 

he  saw  what  had  occasioned  the  obscurity.  He  had 
yielded  to  the  opinion  of  mistaken  friends  who  were 
opposed  to  the  belief  of  salvation  from  sin  in  the  present 
life.  He  had  ceased  to  labor  with  his  former  definite- 
ness  in  helping  others  towards  the  attainment  of  present 
and  entire  sanctification,  and  had  refrained  from  speaking 
explicitly  of  his  own  enjoyment  of  this  state.  The 
result  was,  his  evidence  had  become  beclouded,  and  he 
was  involved  in  perplexities.  By  the  luminous  testi- 
mony of  Brother ,  he  now  saw  his  error.  On  re- 
solving that  he  would  no  longer  hide  the  light  enkindled 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  his  heart,  but  would  boldly  declare 
what  great  things  the  Lord  had  done  for  him,  his  light 
again  burst  forth  from  obscurity,  and  the  Spirit  again 
bore  testimony  with  his  spirit  that  the  blood  of  Jesus 
was  applied  to  the  cleansing  of  his  soul  from  all  sin. 

At  the  last  social  meeting  on  the  theme  of  holiness 
that  I  attended,  a  Congregational  minister  was  present, 
who,  ten  or  twelve  years  since,  received  the  blessing  of 
holiness.  He  received  it  the  day  our  acquaintance  com- 
menced, and  a  clearer  or  more  blessed  witness  of  this 
grace,  I  have  seldom  if  ever  known.  The  effect  of  the 
grace,  in  its  manifestations  of  wisely-directed  and  ever- 
consuming  zeal,  does  not  greatly  differ,  whether  its  recip- 
ient be  a  Baptist,  Presbyterian,  Episcopalian,  or  Method- 
ist. It  is  Christ  enthroned  in  the  soul  of  the  believer 
And,  where  Christ  reigns  unrivalled,  burning  love, 
consuming  zeal,  and  the  spirit  of  self-sacrifice,  will  so 
predominate  as  to  evidence,  that  the  disciple  is  in   his 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  341 

"  We  love  your  spirit,  but "        Cast  out.        One  taken  and  the  other  left. 


measure   even   as  his    Master.     And  so  it  was  with  this 
Congregational  minister,  till  he  could  rejoicingly  say, 

"  And  I  enjoy  the  glorious  shame, 
The  scandal  of  the  cross." 

His  brethren  in  the  ministry  witnessed  his  zeal  and 
his  success.  One  minister  went  so  far  as  to  say,  to  this 
and  another  who  had  with  him  espoused  the  same  views, 
when  summoned  before  a  synod  of  ministers  to  answer 
for  their  belief  in  this  proscribed  doctrine,  "  Brethren, 
we  love  your  spirit,  but  we  cannot  bear  your  terms." 
But  these  holy  men  knew  that  "  holiness,"  ' i  sanctifica- 
tion,"  and  "  perfect  love,"  were  terms  which  had  been 
given  by  the  Holy  Spirit's  dictation,  and  were  divinely 
expressive  of  a  state  in  which  all  believers  were  required 
to  live,  and  they  resolved  not  to  be  ashamed  of  Christ, 
or  his  words,  but  to  abide  the  consequences  of  a  steady 
adherence  to  truth,  and  the  form  of  sound  words.  The 
consequence  was,  that  their  names  were  cast  out  as  evil, 
and  they  ceased  to  be  members  of  that  order.  Though 
cast  out  by  the  synod,  their  congregations  retained 
them,  and  they  were  installed  over  Independent  Con- 
gregational churches.  One,  after  living  a  life  of  emi- 
nent devotedness,  in  which,  it  is  believed,  hundreds  were 
brought  'to  Christ  through  his  instrumentality,  went 
home  to  glory,  rejoicing  in  victory  through  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb.  The  other  still  remains,  and,  as  I  har'i- 
observed,  was  at  the  meeting  last  Tuesday.  After  all 
that  he  had  suffered,  the  enemy,  by  a  well-circum- 
stanced temptation,  came  well-nigh  robbing  him  of  his 


842  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  question  by  the  tempter.  Yielding.  Restored.  Progress. 


crown.  "  Holiness  is  but  one  out  of  the  many  doctrines 
of  the  Bible,  and  why  give  it  so  much  prominence  when 
it  brings  so  much  obloquy  from  even  well-meaning 
men  ?  "  So  said  the  tempter.  Satan  had  so  transform- 
ed himself,  that  the  tempted,  ere  he  was  scarcely  aware, 
had  almost  imperceptibly  yielded,  and,  for  months,  had 
ceased  to  labor  specifically  on  the  subject,  or  to  give 
prominence  to  it  in  his  thoughts  or  in  his  experience. 
Suddenly,  he  was  arrested  on  a  Sabbath  noon,  to  see  how 
Satan  had  beguiled  him.  He  now  saw  how  he  had  been 
shorn  of  his  strength.  He  wept  and  groaned.  For  hours, 
it  seemed  as  though  he  might  never  regain  the  forfeited 
grace.  After  spending  a  tearful,  sleepless  night,  he 
called  at  our  house  on  Monday,  and,  while  we  were 
pleading,  and  he  confessing  his  sin,  he  obtained  again  an 
application  of  that  blood  which  cleanseth  from  all  sin. 


>  <i»< 


tat8ttiMiW88. 


DO  THE  SANCTIFIED    FEEL  SENSITIVELY? 

I  believe  my  heart  is  cleaving  more  closely  to 
Christ,  and  getting  more  detached  from  earthly  objects. 
The  weaning  process  is  going  on.  I  find  the  more 
closely  I  get  to  the  heart  of  Infinite  Love,  the  nearer  to 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  the  more  sensitively  do  I  feel, 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  343 

Grace  gives  keenness  to  perception.  "  Dou  you  feel  such  things  f  n 

to  my  heart's  deepest  core,  every  thing  that  is  contrary, 
in  spirit,  word  or  action,  to  the  law  of  love.  If  we  do, 
indeed,  get  nearer  to  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  we 
cannot  but  see,  with  yet  more  vividness,  every  thing  that 
is  unrighteous  and  unlovely.  And  then  the  sight  of 
the  eyes  will  affect  the  heart. 

What  must  the  sufferings  of  the  Savior  have  been 
during  his  sojourn  on  earth !  How  continuously  must 
his  gentle,  pure  spirit  have  been  lacerated !  I  have 
seldom  had  such  a  perception  of  what  the  keenness  of 
his  sufferings  must  have  been,  as  since  I  have  been  pur- 
suing the  above  train  of  thought.  It  appears  as  though 
his  entire  stay  on  earth,  from  childhood  to  his  expiring 
groan  on  the  cross,  must  have  been  one  continuous 
crucifixion. 

"  Do  you  feel  such  things  ?  "  said  one,  after  having 
been  the  means  of  subjecting  me  to  a  humiliation 
which,  had  it  not  been  for  its  religious  association, 
would  have  branded  him,  in  his  own  eyes  and  in  the 
estimation  of  many,  as  exceedingly  uncourteous.  From 
his  manner  in  proposing  this  inquiry,  I  presume  he 
thought  that  my  professions  of  deadness  to  the  world 
involved  a  deadness  of  all  the  finer  sensibilities  of  the 
soul,  forgetful  that  "whatsoever  things  are  pure,  and 
lovely,  and  of  good  report,"  are  among  the  more 
important  enjoyments  of  piety. 

This  idea  may  have  obtained  from  the  fact,  that  those 
who  are  truly  sanctified  throughout  body,  soul  and 
spirit  will,  with  a  lamb-like,  uncomplaining  temper, 
endure  woundings   of   spirit.       Things,   which   before 


344  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Silent  submission,  uot  obtuseness.  Meekness  of  great  price. 

would  have  been  avenged,  or  in  some  way  resented,  will 
now  be  received  with  but  slight  outward  manifestations 
of  pain.  In  imitation  of  their  divine  Redeemer,  they 
may,  "  as  a  sheep  dumb  before  her  shearers,"  open  not 
their  mouth.  But  if  this  silent  submission  has  been 
regarded  as  an  intimation  that  the  uncomplaining  one 
does  not  feel — if,  because  he  soon  retires  noiselesslv 
from  the  scene  of  strife,  has  been  regarded  as  giving  an 
intimation  that  the  infliction  has  not  wounded,  or  has 
been  forgotten,  how  greatly  the  reverse  is  the  fact ! 

A  MESSENGER  TOLD   IT. 

He  has  been  wounded,  and  far  more  deeply  wounded 
than  your  oft-blunted  sensibilities  can  imagine.  He 
retires  noiselessly,  because  he  whom  he  serves  has  said, 
"  The  servant  of  the  Lord  must  not  strive."  You 
may  never  on  earth  again  hear  of  your  ungentle,  unlov- 
ing words  and  actions,  but  are  they  untold?  It  is  true 
they  may  never  be  breathed  in  mortal  ear,  but  shall 
they  remain  unrevealed?  No !  "Their  angels  do  al- 
ways behold  the  face  of  my  Father  !  "  You  have  offend- 
ed one  of  Christ's  little  ones. 

An  unseen  messenger  was  standing  by,  and,  as  you 
gave  the  causeless  offence,  that  winged  messenger  with 
speed  went  and  told  it  directly  to  the  ear  of  God.  It 
was  with  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit  you  had  to  do.  God 
gave  that  spirit.  In  his  sight,  it  is  of  great  price.  It 
ought  to  have  been  of  great  price  in  your  sight.  When 
you  saw  the  form  of  the  one  you  had  thus  needlessly 
wounded  receding  from  your  presence  with  unobtrusive 


ECONOMY       OF      SALVATION.  O  15 

"itorse  than  drowning.         A  change  in  your  friend.         How  does  it  affect  you? 


tread,  he  went  to  tell  it  to  his  heavenly  Father — to  his 
eery) passionate  Savior — to  the  loving  Spirit.  And  will 
the  triune  God  hear  it,  and  take  cognizance  of  the  act  ? 
\es  !  and  "God  is  not  as  man  that  he  should  lie." 
True  as  God  is  true,  retribution  awaits  you.  "  Ven- 
geance is  mine,"  saith  the  Lord.  "  Whosoever  shall 
offend  one  of  these  little  ones  that  believe  in  me, 
it  were  better  for  him  that  a  millstone  were  hanged 
about  his  neck,  and  he  were  cast  into  the  sea." 

DO   YOU   PERSECUTE  CHRIST  J 

Christ's  persecutors  are  not  always  those  who  ac- 
knowledge themselves  to  be  of  the  world.  Perhaps 
you  are  an  erring  child  of  God.  Your  wife,  your  hus- 
band, your  child,  brother  or  sister,  or,  perchance,  some 
fviend  to  whom  you  have  been  closely  affianced,  has 
entered  into  the  enjoyment  of  perfect  love.  You  have 
witnessed  their  increasing  deadness  to  the  world. 
Things  which,  when  in  the  lower  walk  of  worldly- 
minded  profession,  they  could  enjoy  in  common  witli 
yourself,  now  pain  their  hearts,  while,  from  the  depth 
of  the  soul,  they  cry  out  to  God,  "Turn  away  mine 
eyes  from  beholding  vanity." 

Following  Christ,  the  Light  of  Life,  their  souls  are 
becoming  more  and  more  conformed  to  his  image.  They 
love  the  things  which  he  loves,  and  hate  the  things 
which  he  hates.  How  uneasy  have  these  marked  pre- 
ferences made  you !  Because  you  cannot  get  them  to 
see  as  you  see,  and  do  as  you  do,  with  how  many  un- 
kind allusions  have  you  pained  the  loving  heart  of  that 


346  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


fitful  opposition       Our  guide  from  earth  to  heaven.      A  symptom  of  carnality 

gentle  one,  whom,  in  defiance  of  yourself,  you  cannot 
but  love  and  admire !  Conscience  tells  you  that  you  are 
wrong,  and  you  know  it.  Still  you  persist.  Your  oppo- 
sition, perhaps,  may  be  but  fitful,  but  yet  you  oppose, 
and,  as  occasion  may  offer,  you  leave  room  to  infer,  by 
your  unloving  allusions,  and  by  silent  action  and  innuendo 
that  you  intend  to  offend  those  gentle,  loving  hearts,  whose 
every  pulsation  is  in   unison  with  God  for  your  good. 

O,  do  so  no  more  ;  not  only  from  the  fact  that  (i  their 
ans^ls  do  always  behold  the  face  of  their  Father,"  but 
because  you  are  sinning  against  your  own  soul's  best 
interest.  God  is  love.  Every  unloving  look,  word,  or 
action,  is  an  abhorrence  to  him.  It  is  the  Spirit  of  love, 
who  has  undertaken  to  lead  you  from  earth  to  heaven. 
"By  the  love  of  the  Spirit,"  I  beseech  you,  "  grieve  not 
the  Spirit."  Would  a  dear  friend,  however,  intent  on 
your  good,  abide  with  you,  if  the  feelings  of  his  sensi- 
tive heart  were  ever  being  defianced  by  oft-repeated 
assaults  ?  So  the  Spirit  will  not  always  strive.  You 
are  in  danger.  Seven  other  spirits  worse  than  the  first 
may  enter.  And  what  will  you  do,  should  that  fearful 
hour  come  upon  you  without  the  aid  of  that  Spirit 
which  you  have  grieved  •  away  ?  Let  him  that  standeth 
take  heed  lest  he  fall.  Be  assured,  by  one  who  knows, 
that  the  restiveness  you  feel  when  the  stricter  forms  of 
piety  are  presented  before  you,  are  most  evidently  indic- 
ati  e  of  the  remains  of  the  carnal  mind.  "  The  flesh 
Visteth  against  the  Spirit."  If  you  yield  to  it,  you  sin 
against  God.  For  in  sinning  against  his  people,  you  as 
t^Lly  sin  igainst  Christ  as  though  he  were  here  in  person 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  347 

The  error.  The  crowning  doctrine.  Where  was  th6  failure? 

By  the  light  of  a  truly  Christian  example,  you  have 
been  reproved.  Acknowledge  your  error,  and  seek  a 
holy  heart. 


■  *»». 


Sfe  lMft0dtst  Utittistrg, 


8  We  believe  that  God's  design,  in  raising  up  the  preachers  called  Methodist,  In 
America,  was,  to  reform  the  continent,  and  to  spread  scriptural  holiness  over  the* 
lands." — Bishops  op  the  M.  E.  Church. 

We  would  not  have  it  inferred  that  we  regard  holi- 
ness as  the  doctrine  of  a  sect,  rather  than  as  the  one 
crowning  doctrine  of  the  Bible.  We  do  not  so  regard 
it.  The  Scriptures  of  truth  present  it  as  the  great 
ultimatum  of  all  Christian  ministrations.  "  Whom  we 
preach,  warning  every  man,  and  teaching  every  man  in 
all  wisdom,  that  we  may  present  every  man  perfect  in 
Christ  Jesus."  If  the  ministry  of  any,  or  every  denom- 
ination fail  to  present  the  members  of  their  flock  perfect 
in  Christ  Jesus,  the  object  of  their  ministry  is  unan- 
swered. And  if,  when  inquisition  is  made  for  blood, 
the  failure  be  found  in  the  ministry  on  account  of  not 
having  presented  Christian  Perfection  as  attainable  in 
the  present  life,  then  the  blood  of  the  people  will  be 
found  on  the  head  of  the  watchman  ;  for  he  failed  to 
give  the  warning.  He  failed  to  speak  of  the  absolute 
necessity  of  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  this  grace,  by  way 
of  living  in  constant  readiness  for  their  Lord.     Their 


348  l  L  L  USTRATIONS     OF     T  H  E 

The  robe  on,  but  not  spotless.     The  fact,  and  its  solution.    What  would  Wesley  say* 

Lord  came  in  an  hour  when  they  thought  not,  and, 
though  the  white  robe  of  a  profession  was  on,  yet  it  was 
not  spotless,  for  they  had  not  been  taught  that  they 
might  walk  with  garments  unpolluted  —  not  taught 
that  they  ought  to  have  been  in  a  constant  state  of  readi- 
ness to  be  presented  without  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any 
such  thing ;  and  how  can  it  be  otherwise  than  that  God 
will  require  it  at  the  hand  of  those  whom  he  had  placed 
on  the  walls  of  Zion,  who  failed  to  give  the  warning  ? 

But  it  was  while  reading  what  we  have  chosen  as  a 
motto  at  the  head  of  this  article,  that  our  mind  was  most 
solemnly  impressed  with  the  responsibility  of  the  Meth- 
odist ministry  in  relation  to  this  subject.  Much  has 
been  said,  in  some  of  the  leading  journals,  in  relation  to 
the  want  of  prosperity  in  some  portions  of  the  country. 
Various  causes  have  been  specified  as  having  had  a 
tendency  toward  producing  this  decrease  of  membership. 
We  will  not  occupy  time  to  specify  the  causes  assigned, 
as  the  most  of  them  have  been  stated  in  print.  But  we 
will  give  what  we  believe  Mr.  Wesley  would  have  giv- 
en as  a  reason,  if  he  were  now  living. 

Let  us  go  back  to  the  brief  account  of  the  design  of 
Methodism,  as  given  under  the  hand  of  the  bishops  of 
the  M.  E.  Church,  in  the  excellent  Book  of  Discipline. 
"  In  1729,  two  young  men  in  England  saw,  in  reading 
the  Bible,  that  they  could  not  be  saved  without  holiness  ; 
they  followed  after  it,  and  incited  others  to  do  so.  In 
1739,  they  saw  likewise  that  men  are  justified  before 
they  are  sanctified.  But  still  holiness  was  their  object. 
God  then  thrust  them  out  to  raise  a  holy  people."     Thp 


ECONOMY     OF      SALVATION.  349 


The  bishop's  views.  Is  the  design  met?  Individual  responsibility. 

bishops  of  the  M.  E.  C.  quote  this  from  the  Wesley s 
themselves,  in  their  address  to  the  Methodist  commu- 
nity. It  is  in  the  introductory  article  of  the  Book  of 
Doctrines  and  Discipline.  The  bishops  then  give  their 
own  views  of  the  specific  design  of  Methodism  in  the 
emphatic  words  which   stand  at  the  head  of  this  article. 

Do  the  preachers  of  the  M.  E.  Church  generally 
regard  this  as  the  specific  design  of  Methodism  ?  Do 
they  generally  give  the  doctrine  of  holiness  that  promi- 
nence in  their  ministrations  which  the  design  of  the 
origin  of  Methodism,  as  stated,  demands  ?  Let  each  one 
:f  this  class  who  reads  these  inquiries,  answer  before 
Grod,  whether  the  design  of  his  being  thrust  out  as  a 
Methodist  minister,  has   been  answered  in  this  respect. 

As  a  community,  how  vastly  is  the  Methodist  body 
responsible  in  this  matter !  But  communities  are  made 
up  of  individuals,  and  why  is  it  not  the  duty  of  every 
Methodist  minister  to  make  this  responsibility  a  perso- 
nal matter  ?  Thanks  be  to  God,  there  are  many  of  the 
ministers  of  this  denomination  who  are  experimental  wit- 
nesses of  this  grace.  But  how  small,  in  comparison  with 
the  mass,  the  number  of  those  who,  from  personal  expe- 
rience, testify  that  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from 
all  sin"  !  How  few,  comparatively,  who  deeply  feel  the 
importance  of  acting  in  accordance  with  Mr.  Wesley's 
advice,  "  Therefore,  let  all  our  preachers  make  a  point  to 
preach  of  perfection  to  believers  constantly,  strongly, 
explicitly  " ! 

There  were  periods  and  places,  in  Mr.  Wesley's  day, 
when  and  where  the  work  of  the  Lord  did  not  prosper 

'      30 


350  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  relation  between  entire  sanctification  and  the  prosperity  of  the  church. 


as  on  other  occasions.  Mr.  Wesley,  at  such  times,  did 
as  we  should  do  at  the  present  day.  With  all  humility 
he  sought  to  know,  and  acknowledged  the  cause.  We 
hear  him,  on  one  of  these  occasions,  saying  to  Mr.  Ben- 
son, "  I  doubt  not  we  are  not  explicit  enough  in  speak- 
ing on  full  sanctification,  either  in  public  or  private." 
On  another  occasion,  where  the  work  was  less  prosper- 
ous than  he  desired,  he,  with  earnestness,  raises  the 
warning  voice,  and  cries  out,  "  I  am  afraid  Christian 
Perfection  will  be  forgotten  Encourage  Richard 
Blackwell  and  Mr.  Colley  to  speak  plainly.  A  general 
faintness,  in  this  respect,  has  fallen  on  the  whole  king- 
dom. Sometimes,  I  seem  almost  weary  of  striving 
against  the  stream  of  both  preachers  and  people."  And 
again,  on  yet  another  occasion  of  solicitude  on  this  point, 
he  writes  to  Miss  B.,  who  had  just  received  the  blessing 
of  perfect  love,  to  profess  it,  and  encourages  her  against 
the  censures  of  those  who  discountenanced  her  testi- 
mony on  this  subject.  Of  another  place  he  says,  "  I 
examined  the  society,  and  was  surprised  to  find  fifty 
members  fewer  than  I  left  in  it  in  October  last.  One 
reason  is,  Christian  perfection  has  been  little  insisted 
on ;  and,  where  this  is  not  done,  be  the  preachers  ever 
so  eloquent,  there  is  little  increase  either  in  the  number 
or  grace  of  the  hearers."  Again  he  remarks,  "William 
Hunt  and  John  Watson  were  not  men  of  large  gifts, 
but  zealous  for  Christian  perfection,  and,  by  their  warm 
conversation  on  this  head,  kindled  a  flame  in  some  of 
the  leaders.  These  pressed  others  to  seek  after  it,  and, 
for  this  end,  appointed  meetings  for  prayer.     The  fire 


'ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  351 


No  gain  in  a  year the  reason.  Asbury  Responsibilities how  met? 

spread  wider  and  wider,  until  the  whole  society  was  in 
a   flame."     Of  another   place   he  says — "Went  on  to 

L .     Here  I  found  the  work  of  God  had  gained  no 

ground  in  this  circuit  all  the  year.  The  preachers  have 
given  up  the  Methodist  testimony.  Either  they  did  not 
speak  of  perfection  at  all,  (the  peculiar  doctrine  com- 
mitted to  our  trust,)  or  they  speak  of  it  only  in  general 
terms,  without  urging  believers  to  go  on  to  perfection. 
And  where  this  is  not  earnestly  done,  the  work  of  God 
does  not  prosper." 

A  great  deal  more  might  be  quoted  to  show  that  this 
is  what  Mr.  Wesley,  and  also  other  fathers  of  Meth- 
odism, regarded  as  the  "  Methodist  testimony."  So 
much  did  Bishop  Asbury  think  of  it,  that  he  says,  "  I 
am  divinely  impressed  with  a  charge  to  preach  it  in  every 
sermon."  Do  Methodist  ministers  generally,  of  the 
present  day,  feel  thus  divinely  impressed  ?  How  have 
the  responsibilities  of  the  Methodist  testimony  been 
met  ?  If,  according  to  Mr.  Wesley's  declaration,  Meth- 
odism does  not  prosper  where  the  Methodist  testimony  is 
neglected,  let  us  ask  how  those  Methodist  ministers  will 
meet  their  account  who  do  not  preach  once  in  months 
on  this  subject ;  who  do  not  encourage  the  testimony  of 
their  people  in  relation  to  their  experience  of  this  bless- 
ing ;  who  seldom  press  the  necessity  of  the  present 
attainment  of  this  blessing,  either  in  their  public  or  pri- 
vate ministrations. 

Let  us  rouse,  brethren,  individually  and  collectively. 
Let  us  rouse  to  an  earnest  recognition  of  our  responsi- 
bilities on  this  subject.     Holiness  is  not  only  the  crown- 


352  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Disputants What  hope  from  such?         Personal  experience  and  pulpit  power. 

ing  doctrine  of  the  Bible,  but  it  is  trie  distinguishing 
doctrine  of  Methodism.  Some,  we  acknowledge,  do 
spend  time  in  ministering  on  this  subject  as  theological 
discussionists,  or  disputants,  and  are  ready  to  assume  an 
attitude  which  seems  to  say,  "  The  temple  of  the  Lord, 
the  temple  of  the  Lord ':  are  we,  who  are  not  zealous 
as  experimental  witnesses  of  the  grace  ;  but  what  have 
we  to  hope  from  such  labors  ?  Of  the  doctrine  of  holi- 
ness it  may,  in  the  most  emphatic  sense,  be  said,  "  If 
any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  doc- 
trine." And  on  what  point  is  the  will  of  God  more 
distinctly  stated  than  on  this  ;  "  This  is  the  will  of 
God,  even  your  sancthication "  ?  But,  unless  a  man 
resolves  to  know  experimentally,  he  cannot  acquaint 
himself  with  the  doctrine  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  him- 
self very  useful  to  others  in  pointing  out  the  steps  by 
,  which  it  is  to  be  obtained  ;  for  one  must  first  travel  the 
way  before  he  is  prepared  for  much  success  in  directing 
others.  How  much  better  one  can  preach  of  justifica- 
tion after  he  has  experienced  that  grace !  Quite  as 
important  is  the  experience  of  entire  sanctification  to 
those  who  would  successfully  enforce  the  attainment  of 
that  grace  on  others. 

"  0!  who  can  speak  his  praise?  great,  humble  man' 
He,  in  the  current  of  destruction,  stood, 
And  warned  the  sinner  of  his  woe ;  led  on 
Immanuel's  numbers  in  the  evil  day ; 
And,  with  the  everlasting  arms  embraced 
Himself  around,  stood  in  the  dreadful  front 
Of  battle,  high,  and  warred  victoriously 
With  death  and  hell." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  353 

Fletcher's  experience  in  reference  to  profession.  What  a  minister  said. 


$oMtsb  jt  mi  it 


"That  I  may  publish  with  the  voice  of  thanksgiving,  and  tell  of  all  thy  wondrous 

works." — Psalms  xxvi.  7. 

u  I  received  this  blessing  four  or  five  times  before, 
but  lost  it  by  not  obeying  the  order  of  God.  '  With 
the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness,  and  with 
the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salvation.'  But  the 
enemy  offered  his  bait  under  various  colors  to  keep  me 
from  a  public  declaration  of  what  my  Lord  had  wrought." 
So  said  Fletcher,  after  having  lost  the  blessing  of  per- 
fect love  four  or  five  times  by  various  deceivings  of 
Satan  to  keep  him  from  a  public  and  explicit  declaration 
of  the  grace  he  received.  And,  after  giving  a  narration 
of  the  manner  of  these  deceptions,  he  says,  "  Now 
brethren,  you  see  my  folly.  I  have  confessed  it  in  your 
presence,  and  now  I  resolve,  before  you  all,  to  confess 
my  Master.  I  will  confess  him  to  all  the  world ;  and  1 
now  declare  unto  you,  in  the  presence  of  God,  the  Holy 
Trinity,  I  am  now  dead  indeed  unto  sin."  After  this 
solemn  resolve  to  maintain  a  public  declaration  of  the 
power  of  Christ  to  save  to  the  uttermost,  we  hear  no 
more  of  Mr.  Fletcher's  losing  the  blessing  of  perfect 
love. 

Wt  were  reminded  of  this  very  clear  and  pointed 
declaration  of  Fletcher's  experience,  by  a  scene  we 
witnessed  at  a  camp  meeting  a  few  days  since.  A  minis- 
ter arose,  in  the  midst  of  a  large  public  meeting  before 
;ikc    stand,   ano   said,  fS  I  am  in  my  right  mind,  and  I 

30* 


354  ILLUSTRATIONS     OF     THE 


A  profession  in  words  of  fire  Many  witnesses. 

wish  to  give  in  a  testimony  which.  I  desire  every  one  on 
this  ground  should  hear.  Ministers,  hear  it !  Brethren 
and  sisters  of  the  laity,  hear  it !     Sinners,  hear  it !     Go 

home   and  publish  it !     Yes,  tell  it,  that  on  the 

camp  ground,  you  heard  a  minister  profess  to  be  wholly 
sanctified.  Yes,  God  has  wholly  sanctified  my  soul !  I 
know  it,  and  I  wish  to  publish  it  to  the  world  !  Away 
with  mere  theories,  and  discussions  on  entire  sanctifica- 
tion !  It  is  the  thing  itself  we  must  have — the  experi- 
ence. I  have  got  it !  Glory  be  to  God,  the  blood  of . 
Jesus  cleanseth  me  from  all  sin !  And  now  I  am 
resolved  to  publish  it !  Yes,  tell  it!  "  While  he  was 
thus  talking,  he  seemed  to  be  so  evidently  carried  away 
with  the  Spirit,  and  filled  with  God,  that  the  most 
sceptical  beholder,  I  think,  could  not  doubt  but  he  was 
filled  with  the  Spirit.  His  looks,  and  the  effect  of  his 
utterances,  were  indescribable.  As  he  spake,  he  passed 
into  the  midst  of  the  congregation,  and  went  to  and  fro, 
speaking  words  which  penetrated  like  fire.  "  The  blood 
of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  sin  !  "  he  again  and  again 
repeated — "  Publish  it !  publish  it  !  tell  it !  "  he  reit- 
erated ;  and  often  as  the  words  fell  from  his  lips  they 
penetrated  as  fire  deeper  and  deeper.  The  outpouring 
of  the  Spirit  became  general,  and  hundreds  of  hearts 
caught  the  holy  impulse.  Would  that  it  were  in  my 
power  to  describe  the  extraordinary  manifestations  of 
the  Spirit  as  witnessed  on  this  occasion.  Many  spake  as 
the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance,  and  such  burning  words ' 
We  all  felt  that  there  was  one  standing  among  us  who 
baptizeth  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire  ;  ar»d  many 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  355 

"  The  blood  cleanseth  me  !  "  A  radiant  face.  Overwhelming  glory. 

received  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  that  event- 
ful morning.  One  lady,  whose  heaven-illumined  coun- 
tenance bespoke  intelligent  piety  and  refinement,  rose 
near  me  and  said,  "The  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  we 
from  all  unrighteousness.  I  will  tell  it !  I  am  going 
home  to  publish  it.  I  care  not  even  though  the  intelli- 
gence  may  precede   me  to  B ."     As  she  said  these 

words,  the  radiance  on  her  face  brightened  to  an  unearthly 
glow.  The  manifestation  of  the  Spirit's  approval  was 
too  glorious  for  her  feeble  frame,  and  she  sunk  back 
under  the  power  of  God  ;  and  two  or  three  hours  passed 
before  she  was  able  to  rise.  This  was  in  a  region  of 
country  where  the  enemy  had  taken  special  pains,  within 
two  or  three  years,  to  withstand  a  public  profession  of 
holiness.  The  same  satanic  bait  had  tempted  them  that 
had  been  held  out  to  Fletcher.  And  several,  as  Fletcher, 
had  in  consequence  lost  the  blessing.  But  now  victory, 
and  glorious  victory,  had  turned  on  the  side  of  Zion. 
Satan  was  vanquished,  and  the  saints  shouted  aloud  foi 


i  m%m  i 


4attor  JP- 


Few  exceeded  Father  M in  evident  devotedness 

of  life.     So  consistent,  so  uniform.     He  had  been  so 
long,  and  so  habitually  pious,  that  the  fact  that  Father 


356  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


A  father  in  the  way  of  younger  disciples.  "What  was  the  difficulty. 

M~ did  not   profess  to  enjoy  the  witness  of  perfect 

love,  had  caused  many  a  younger  disciple  to  shrink  from 

an  open  profession  of  that  grace.     But  Father  M 

did  net  intend  to  stand  in  the  way  of  younger  professors. 
His  whole  heart  was  intent  on  this,  and  on  every  other 
good  work ;  yet  such  was  the  fact ;  younger  members, 
who  could  distinctly  tell  the  day  and  the  hour  when 
the  love  of  God  was  perfected  in  their  hearts,  were 
deterred  from  coming  out  in  that  profession,  especially 
in  his  presence.  "For,"  said  the  tempter,  "if  Father 
M ,  who  has  been  so  long  in  the  way,  does  not  pro- 
fess to  enjoy  the  blessing,  who  will  believe  in  your  pro- 
fessions ?  "  And,  by  thus  yielding  to  the  subtle  tempter, 
and  refusing  to  let  their  light  shine,  they  lost  the  grace 

out   of  their  hearts.      Had  Father  M known  this, 

how  he  would  have  quailed  in  view  of  his  responsibility  ! 
But  he  had  fixed  his  mind  on  holiness  as  some  hi^h 
state  almost  beyond  present  aspirations  ;  and  mighty 
struggles  and  desperate  ventures  of  faith  were  contem- 
plated before  the  desired  summit  could  be  reached. 
And  yet  Christ  had  no  rival  in  his  heart ;  and  this  he 
well  knew.  Had  all  the  world, — its  highest  honors, 
and  richest  pleasures,  been  concentrated  and  laid  before 
him  in  one  scale,  and  had  the  lowly  Savior  and  the 
cross  been  laid  in  the  other,  there  would  have  been  an 
almost   infinite   preponderance   in   the  mind   of  Father 

M in   favor   of  the    Savior  and  the  cross.     Yet,  as 

he  could  not  state  the  day  and  the  hour  when  the  love 
of  God  was  thus  perfected  in  his  heart,  he  seemed  not 
to  take  cognizance  of  the  fact.     But,  surely,  the  man 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  357 


lie  saw — how  or  when  not  important.        The  tree  and  its  fruits.         Social  meeting 

that  first  saw  "  men  as  trees  walking,"  and  afterward 
saw  all  things  clearly,  saw  just  as  well  as  if  he  had 
seen  all  things  at  once.  It  is  not  for  us  to  question  in 
relation  to  the  time  and  the  manner  of  the  Savior's 
working,  but  to  acknowledge  every  good  thing  that  is  in 
us  bv  Christ  Jesus,  let  the  time  and  the  manner  of  the 
Spirit's  operations  be  as  they  may.  And  to  do  this  is  a 
bounden  duty  ;  a  duty  that  must  be  performed  in  order 
that  the  communication  may  be  effectual. 

A  tree  that  bears  apples  is,  by  common  consent,  called 
an  apple  tree.  On  the  same  principle  of  reasoning  we 
might  say,  a  man  that  evidently  brings  forth  the  fruit  of 
holiness,  must  be  a  holy  man.     And  might  not   Father 

M have  judged  thus  of  his  state  ?     So  his  pious 

friends  thought. 

But  Father  M ,  within  a  few  days  past,  has  been 

fairly  brought  out  into  the  clear  light  of  conscious  purity. 
The  way  by  which  he  was  brought  out  was  so  simple, 
that  we  give  a  slight  glance  at  the  process. 

A  number  of  friends  had  gathered,  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  a  social  meeting,  in  view  of  mutual 
prayer  and  a  free  interchange  of  thought  on  the  subject 
of  holiness.  We  asked  Father  M if  he  was  a  wit- 
ness of  this  grace,  when  he  frankly  acknowledged  he  was 
not. 

"  But  you  surely  love  God  with  all  your  heart,  Father 
M ? " 

"  I  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  saying  so,  and  I  am 
not  sure  that  I  would  dare  to  say  so." 

"  But  though  you  have  not  been  in  the  habit  of  say 


358  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


The  fact  and  the  time.  Love  demands  I0V6.  Suggestion  repelled. 

ing  so,  dear  Father  M ,  have  you   not   reason   to 

believe  that  grace  has  so  empowered  you  that  you  do 
love  God  with  all  your  heart  ?  Perhaps  you  cannot,  as 
some  others,  tell  the  precise  time  when  you  began  to 
love  the  Lord  with  all  your  heart,  with  any  more 
definiteness  than  the  man,  who  first  saw  men  as  trees 
walking,  and  afterwards  saw  all  things  clearly,  could  tell 
just  the  point  of  time  when  he  began  to  see ;  but  this 
did  not  interfere  with  the  fact  of  his  seeing,  or  make  the 
duty  of  giving  to  Christ  the  glory  due  to  his  name  less 
important." 

"  I  cannot  confess  what  I  am  not  sure  I  have  the  evi- 
dence of." 

"  No,  Father  M ,  neither  would  I  wish  you  to 

confess  with  your  mouth  any  thing  that  your  heart  does 
not  believe.  If  you  have  not  sufficient  evidence,  from 
the  state  of  your  heart,  to  convince  you  that  God  has 
the  uppermost  seat  in  your  affections,  then  I  should  be 
far  from  wishing  you  to  say  so.  But  Christ  has  loved  us 
with  all  his  heart,  and  it  were  a  shame  to  love  him  with 
less  than  all  the  heart." 

This   was  rather  too  much  for  the  loving,  devoted 

heart  of  Father  M to  endure,  and  the  fervor  of  his 

affections  seemed  kindled  to  greater  ardor,  as,  with  holy 
jealousy,  he  repelled  the  suggestion  that  he  could  be  so 
ungrateful  as  to  love  the  Lord  with  less  than  all  his 
heart ;  and  yet  he  had  not  been  willing  to  admit  he  did. 

'  This   Father  M ,  is  just  the  point  to  which  I 

Tish  So  bring  the  mattei.  I  am  sure  you  would  be 
ashaireJ  tc  acknowledge  the  thought  of   loving   God 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  359 


The  question.     The  fear  of  death  gone — why.      Knew  the  fact  but  doubted  it. 


with  less  than  all  the  heart,  and  yet  you  are  not  willing 
to  say  you  do.  Now  nothing  is  more  certain  than  this. 
You  sustain  a  definite  relation  before  God ;  though  you 
may  be  indefinite,  God  is  definite  with  you,  and  you  are 
at  this  moment  written  down  among  Christ's  confessors, 
as  one  who  loves  God  with  all  the  heart,  or  as  one  who 

does  not.     And  now,  Father  M ,  how  is  it?    Are 

you  obeying  the  first  great  command,  <  Thou  shalt  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  soul,  mind,  might  and 
strength,'  or  are  you  not  ?  " 

"  O,  I  am  sure  there  is  nothing  I  know  of  that  I  love 
more.  Some  time  ago,  I  was  thought  very  near  death. 
I  seemed  just  about  to  pass  over  Jordan,  but  all  was 
glory,  peace  and  joy  ;   I  had  no  fear." 

"  No,  Father  M ,  you  had  no  fear,  and  why  had 

you  no  fear  ?  Was  it  not  because  you  enjoyed  that  love 
that  caste th  out  fear  ?  And  what  sort  or  degree  of  love 
is  that,  which  casteth  out  fear  ?  " 

"  It  is  perfect  love  that  casteth  out  fear,"  says  one, 

"  and  that  shows  that  Father  M does  enjoy  perfect 

love." 

"  Yes,  Father  M ,  no  doubt,  has  long  since  enjoyed 

perfect  love,"  said  we,  "  but  the  difficulty  with  him  is, 
he  wants  some  evidence  beside  the  knowledge  of  the  fact. 

The  case  of   Father   M reminds  me  of  a  sister  to 

whom  I  said,  at  the  close  of  one  of  our  Tuesday  meet- 
ings, "  Sister,  do  you  enjoy  the  blessing  of  holiness  ? ' 
She  replied,  "  I  believe  I  do,  or  at  least  I   know  I  love 
the  Lord  with  all  my  heart ;  but  I  want  the  evidence  of 
it !  "     Dr.  Bangs   was   standing   near   when   I  drew  his 


360  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

Just  what  was  wanted.       A  meeting  of  intense  interest.        Christian  perfection. 

attention  to  the  sister,  saying,  "  Here  is  a  sister  who 
says  she  believes  she  loves  the  Lord  with  all  her  heart, 
or,  rather,  she  knows  she  does,  bnt  she  wants  the  evi- 
dence of  it."  "  Do  you  want  the  evidence  of  a  thing 
you  know  ?  "  says  the  venerable  doctor.  Then,  turning 
to  the  window  where  the  sun  was  throwing  in  his  mel- 
lowing light,  he  exclaimed,  "  The  sun  is  shining,  and 
you  know  it,  and  now  do  you  want  the  evidence  of  it  ? 

Father  M enjoys   perfect  love,  and  he    knows   \\y 

but  he  wants  the  evidence   of  it.     But  let  me  tell  you, 

Father  M ,  just  what  is  now  wanting  to  bring  yc  u 

into  the  glorious  conscious  enjoyment  of  this  experienc  3. 
It  is  to  confess  with  your  mouth  what  you  know  yoi  t 
heart  now  believes  ;  for  it  is  with  the  heart  ms  n 
believeth,  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto 
salvation.  It  is  the  fire  of  perfect  love  kindled  iu  the 
soul,  and  we  must  give  it  vent,  if  we  want  it  to  burn  to 
a  mighty  flame." 

The  conversation  with  Father  M paused,  and  a 

social  meeting  of  intense  interest  commenced,  during 
which  several  were  saved  from  all  sin,  and  others 
received  justifying  grace.  Father  M sat,  apparent- 
ly drinking  in  the  streams  of  salvation,  little  doubting, 
we  imagine,  but  that  he  loved  God  with  all  his  heart. 
But  now  that  others  of  his  tent's  company  had  received 
the  sanctifying  seal,  we  felt  yet  more  anxious  that  his 
testimony  should  be  more  explicit. 

With  an  humble   dependence  on  the   Spirit's  aid,  we 
turned  to  the  venerable  patriarch,  and  said, 

Father  M ,  remember  it  is  not  Adamic  perfec- 


ts 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  361 

Our  High  Priest.  How  we  may  know  when  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth. 

tion,  nor  angelic  perfection,  but  Christian  perfection,  that 
we  have  been  talking  about;  we  of  ourselves  cannot 
present  a  perfect  sacrifice.  Without  Christ  we  can  do 
nothing.  Our  offerings*  are  polluted.  We  cannot  so 
much  as  think  a  good  thing,  much  less  incite  a  good 
desire,  or  a  holy  emotion,  or  perform  a  right  action. 
Our  good  is  all  divine.  It  is  only  as  our  offerings  are 
presented  through  Christ  that  they  can  be  "  holy,  accept- 
able." We  every  moment  need  the  merits  of  Christ's 
death.  And  it  is  because  we  need  it  that  it  is  every 
moment  available.  But,  while  we  every  moment  pre- 
sent ourselves  a  living,  that  is,  a  continual  sacrifice  to 
God  through  Christ — Christ,  as  our  High  Priest,  takes 
these  poor,  sin-polluted  offerings,  and,  through  his  all- 
cleansing  blood,  presents  them  "  holy,  acceptable  ;  "  for 
an  offering  presented  to  God  through  Christ  is  holy 
acceptable.  How  can  it  be  otherwise  in  view  of  the 
medium  through  which  the  offering  is  presented  ? 

Who  would  dare  to  say  otherwise  than  that  "  The 
blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  from  all  unrighteousness  "  ?  It 
is  a  divine  declaration,  a  truth  to  be  believed,  and  there- 
fore sinful  to  doubt.  It  is  only  for  us  to  know  that  we 
present  ourselves  wholly  to  God  through  Christ,  to 
know  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin. 
O,  the  infinite  efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Jesus !  It  is  not 
the  worthiness  of  the  offerer,  or  the  greatness  of  the 
gift  that  he  presents,  that  makes  it  holy  and  acceptable, 
but  it  is  the  all-cleansing  efficacy  of  Jesus'  blood.  Why. 
Father   M ,  if   the    guilt  of  the   world    could   be 

accumulated  and  laid  upon  your  head,  it  would  only  be 

31  • 


362  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Statement  of  the  doctrine.        "  Is  that  all  ?"        Father  M  ■ in  raptures. 

for  you  to  come  to  God  through  Christ,  and  at  once 
prove  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth — not  that  it  can 
or  will,  but  cleanseth  now — just  while  you  now  present 

yourself,  it  cleanseth.     Do  you  not  see,  Father  M , 

it  is  a  perfection  that  comes  by  our  every  moment  pre- 
senting ourselves  to  God   through  Christ  ? 

Not  necessarily  a  perfection  of  knowledge,  or  a  per- 
fection of  wisdom,  but  a  perfection  of  love  ;  loving  God 
with  all  the  heart.  Not  but  that  we  may  love  him  more 
as  our  powers  expand,  but  loving  him  with  all  the  heart 
just  now,  and  just  as  we  are,  and  while  we  thus  pre- 
sent ourselves  every  moment  through  Christ,  we  are 
unto  God  a  sweet  savor  of  Christ,  and  the  offering  is 
accepted  as  perfect  through  Christ.  We  might  have 
proceeded,  for  our  own  mind  was  filled  with  the  glorious 

vision  of  Christ  as  a  perfect  Savior,  but  Father  M 

could  hold  his  peace  no  longer,  and  cried  out, 


u 


Is  that  all  ?     Why,  that  is  what  I  have  been  doing 
for  years.     O  praise  the  Lord  !     Praise  the  Lord  !  " 

"  Yes,  my  dear   Father   M ,  that  is  all,  and  for 

years  past  you  might  have  been  witnessing  that  the  blood 
of  Jesus  cleanseth." 

Father  M saw  it  all ;  but  he  had  given  the  fire 

vent,  and  it  burst  out  into  a  flame  of  intense  raptures, 

and  we   left  Father   M hours   after,  the   flame  of 

love  rising  higher  and  higher,  he  having  testified  before 
hundreds,  in  an  unequivocal  manner,  to  the  enjoyment 
of  perfect  love,  and  of  Christ  as  his  Savior  from  all  Bm 


ECONOMY     OF     SALVATION.  363 

Needful  teachings  for  young  converts.         Several  instances  of  speedy  sanctification 


[mm$  djtfnMrte  mag  bt  Iffitftottg  $mqt\p&. 


Young  converts  ought  to  be  urged  onward  to  the 
speedy  attainment  of  the  grace  of  entire  holiness. 
Unless  their  bent  to  backsliding  is  taken  away,  and  the 
soul  wholly  renewed,  roots  of  bitterness  will  spring  up 
and  trouble  them.  I  fear  it  is  because  young  converts 
are  not  more  earnestly  admonished  to  go  on  to  perfec- 
tion, that  so  many  lose  their  first  love, — backslide  in 
heart,  and,  by  their  half-heartedness,  and  worldly- 
minded  professions,  become  clogs  to  the  chariot  wheels 
of  the  church.  I  wonder  that  Mr.  Wesley's  sentiments 
on  this  subject  are  not  oftener  brought  out  before  the 
people.  He  seems  to  delight  in  bringing  up  instances 
of  entire  sanctification,  which  occurred  but  a  short  time 
after  the  conversion  of  the  recipients.  Among  many 
others,  he  speaks  of  S.  H.,  who  resided  at  Macclesfield. 
He  observes  of  her,  "  I  have  seldom  known  so  devoted 
a  soul.  She  was  sanctified  within  nine  days  after  she 
was  convinced  of  sin.  She  was  then  twelve  years  old, 
and,  I  believe,  was  never  afterwards  heard  to  speak  an 
improper  word,  or  known  to  do  an  improper  thing 
Her  look  struck  awe  into  all  that  saw  her.  She  is  now 
in  Abraham's  bosom." — Wcsleifs  Works,  vol.  vii.  p.  14. 
r(  Four  of  those  children  who  seemed  to  be  saved  from 
sin,  were  of  one  family ;  and  all  of  them  walked  holy 
and  unblamably.  And  many  instances  have  I  found  in 
every  part  of  the  country." — Vol.  vii.  p.  377.  "Many 
children  were  indisputably  justified  ;  some  of  them  were 


364  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Grace  Paddy.  Sanctified  in  twelve  hours  after  conversion. 

likewise  sanctified,  and  were  patterns  of  all  holiness." — 
Vol.  iv  p.  614.  He  gives,  also,  the  experience  of 
Grace  Paddy,  as  he  received  it  from  her  lips.  It  reads 
thus :  "  In  a  short  time,  all  my  troubles  were  gone,  and 
I  did  believe  all  my  sins  were  blotted  out ;  but,  in  the 
evening,  I  was  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  want  of  a 
deeper  work  of  grace.  I  felt  the  remains  of  sin  in  my 
heart,  which  I  longed  to  have  taken  away.  I  longed  to 
be  saved  from  all  sin,  and  cleansed  from  all  unrighteous- 
ness, and,  at  the  time  Mr.  Rankin  was  preaching,  this 
desire  increased  exceedingly.  Afterwards,  he  met  the 
society.  During  his  last  prayer,  I  was  quite  over- 
whelmed with  the  power  of  God.  I  felt  an  inexpressi- 
ble change  in  the  depths  of  my  heart,  and,  from  that 
hour,  I  have  felt  no  anger,  no  pride,  no  wrong  temper 
of  any  kind ;  nothing  contrary  to  the  pure  love  of  God 
which  I  feel  continually.  I  desire  nothing  but  Christ, 
and  I  have  Christ  always  reigning  in  my  heart.  I  want 
nothing ;  he  is  mv  sufficient  portion  in  time  and  in  eter- 
nity."—Vol.  iv.  p.  128-9.  Mr.  Wesley  adds  :  "  Such 
an  instance,  I  never  knew  before ;  of  such  an  instance, 
I  never  read ;  a  person  convinced  of  sin  converted  to 
God,  and  renewed  in  love  within  twelve  hours!  Yet  it 
is  by  no  means  incredible,  seeing  with  God  one  day  is 
as  a  thousand  years." 

In  another  portion  of  his  journal,  Mr.  W.  says,  "  I 
spoke  to  these,  forty  in  number,  one  by  one.  Some  of 
them  said  they  received  the  blessing  ten  days,  some 
seven,  some  four,  some  three  days,  after  they  had  found 
peace  with  God,  and  two  of  them  the  next  day."     What 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  365 


Wesley  on  early  sanctification.  Who  would  stop  short  of  it? 

marvel,"  Mr.  Wesley  again  exclaims  u  since  one  day  is 
with  God  as  a  thousand  years  " — Vol.  iv.  p.  135.  He 
also  speaks  of  one  who  was  reclaimed  from  a  backslid- 
den state,  and  cleansed  from  sin  on  the  following  day. — 
Vol.  iv.  p.  170. 

In  passages  too  numerous  to  mention,  Mr.  Wesley 
continues  to  enforce  by  precept,  and  illustrate  by  exam- 
ple, the  duty  and  privilege  of  young  converts  to  be 
holy.  "  It  plainly  follows,"  he  says,  "  that  the  quan- 
tity of  time  is  nothing  with  him.  Centuries,  years, 
months,  days,  hours,  and  moments,  are  exactly  the 
same.  Consequently,  he  can  as  well  sanctify  in  a  day 
after  we  are  justified,  as  a  hundred  years.  There  is  no 
difference  at  all,  unless  we  suppose  him  to  be  such  as 
ourselves.  Accordingly,  we  see  in  fact  that  some  of  the 
most  unquestionable  witnesses  of  sanctifying  grace, 
were  sanctified  within  a  few  days  after  they  were  con- 
verted."— Vol.  vii.  p.  14. 

How  encouraging  to  young  converts  are  these  exam- 
ples, as  given  by  the  eminently  pious  and  judicious 
founder  of  Methodism,  corroborative,  as  they  are,  of 
scriptural  testimony,  and  the  observation  and  experience 
of  Bible  Christians  of  later  days !  And  where  is  the 
young  convert  who  reads  these  lines,  that  would  not  at 
once  sacrifice  all  for  the  attainment  of  this  grace  ?  And, 
if  it  be  the  privilege  of  the  young  convert  to  be  holy, 
where  is  the  teacher,  or  the  leader  in  Israel,  to  whose 
watch-care  the  flock  of  Christ  has  been  intrusted,  who 
would  stop  short  of  this  grace ?  "A  way  shall  be 
there,  and  it  shall  be  called  the  way  of  holiness,  and  the 

31* 


QC(l 


66  illustrations    of    the 

The  name  of  the  way.      Rev.  J.  M.  Duncan.      Famine.     Three  times  doomed  to  di». 


redeemed  of  the  Lord  shall  walk  there."  All  the  way 
leading  from  earth  to  heaven,  is  a  way  cast  up  for  the 
ramsoned  of  the  Lord  to  walk  in,  and  those  who  do  not 
go  forward,  inevitably  backslide. 


>m*m 


%  JHttjguIar  f  jw. 

Two  Christian  ladies  have  called  on  me  to-day,  who 
were  con.rrted  under  the  ministry  of  the  late  Rev.  J. 
M.  Duncan,  of  Baltimore.  His  memory  is  greatly 
endeared  to  them  as  a  man  of  deep  devote dness,  and  of 
fervent  enlightened  ieal.  In  connection  with  other 
instructive  recollections,  they  gave  the  following  of  a 
vow  made  under  remarkable  circumstances. 

Many  years  ago,  the  vessel  in  which  young  John  and 
his  family  were  passengers,  was  cast  away.  For  some 
time,  all  on  board  were  threatened  with  death  by  famine. 
At  last,  lots  were  cast  for  a  human  victim  to  appease  the 
pangs  of  hunger.  The  lot  fell  on  the  grandmother  of 
that  noble  boy,  Mrs.  Margaret  Duncan.  Unwilling  to 
resort  to  such  a  horrible  remedy,  the  ship's  company 
resolved  to  postpone  the  dreadful  death  for  a  few  hours. 
The  hopless  perio.d  again  arrived,  when  lots  were  again 
cast  for  the  sacrifice  of  life.  Again  the  lot  fell  on  the 
same  lady.  By  common  consent,  another  respite  was 
granted,  and,  by  perfect  agreement,  a  third  time  the 
same  ordeal  was  to  be  past.     Strange  to  tell—  the  third 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  367 


A  promise  to  build  a  church  and  to  educate  a  grandson.  Vow  fulfilled. 

time,  that  aged  lady  was  doomed  to  die.  A  brief  space 
of  time  being  allowed  for  preparation,  the  pious  woman, 
perfectly  resigned  to  her  fate,  made  a  vow  unto  the  Lord 
that,  if  he  would  avert  the  impending  blow,  and  in  mercy 
save  the  ship's  company,  she  would  consecrate  herself 
more  fully  to  his  service — would,  on  their  arrival  at  any 
port,  erect  a  temple  in  honor  of  his  name,  and  educate, 
and  qualify,  as  far  as  in  her  power,  her  grandson,  John 
M.  Duncan,  for  the  ministry  of  the  gospel. 

That  prayer  was  heard ;  for,  as  the  lady  appeared  on 
deck  to  render  up  her  life,  a  voice  from  aloft  announced 
the  welcome  tidings — "  Sail  ahoy  !  "  A  vessel  hove  in 
sight,  came  to  their  relief,  and,  in  safety,  they  all  reached 
Philadelphia.  In  that  city,  the  venerated  grandmother 
promptly  fulfilled  her  vows.  She  indeed  became  a 
more  devoted  Christian.  She  erected  the  commodious 
church  edifice  which  bears  her  name  to  this  day,  and 
her  grandson,  educated  and  qualified  for  the  sacred 
office,  spent  a  long  life  of  piety  and  usefulness,  and  has 
recently  surrendered  his  happy  spirit  to  the  God  to  whose 
service  he  had  been  solemnly  devoted. 

THANK-OFFERING    FOR    SALVATION    FROM    TROUBLE. 

Now,  if  one  act  of  special  dedication  faithfully  carried 
out — one  vow  kept  inviolable,  made  in  the  hour  of 
adversity,  may  tell  so  enduringly  on  the  eternal  welfare 
of  hundreds,  what  should  be  the  duty  of  those  who  are 
in  prosperous  circumstances,  those  who  are  kept,  by  the 
mercy  of  God,  from  the  hour  of  peril  ?  Should  such 
wait  till  driven  by  the  extremities  of  trouble  to  utter 


S6S  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Thank-offering  for  salvation  from  trouble.  A  living  sacrifice. 

vows,  and  to  make  special  dedications  ?  We  do  not 
wonder  that  Mrs.  D.  should  have  vowed,  and  paid  unto 
me  Lord  her  vows.  Her  heart  was  quick  to  devise 
expedients,  which  might  be  most  far-reaching  for  the 
glory  of  God,  because,  in  view  of  her  apparent  nearness 
to  eternity,  she  aimed  to  compass  the  most  comprehen- 
sive good  within  her  power. 

If  she  had  thought  of  any  thing  more  within  her 
reach  to  be  specifically  devoted,  she  doubtless  had  done 
it.  But  does  not  the  Holy  Spirit  now  tell  you,  that 
your  salvation  from  trouble '  calls  for  a  thank-offering, 
which  will  be  commensurate  with  your  highest  ability  ? 
The  God  of  providence  loves  you,  and  to  the  degree 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  intent  on  your  highest  good,  your 
greatest  usefulness,  will  you  be  likely  to  be  driven  by 
emergencies,  if  you  do  not  resolve  on  specific  and  entire 
devotedness  without  being  thus  driven. 

GOD  APPROPRIATES  WHAT  IS  GIVEN  TO  HIM. 

O,  be  constrained,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  to  present 
yourself  a  living  sacrifice.  Make  no  provision  for  the 
fiesh.  Some  make  their  sacrifices  without  taking  in 
their  calculations  that  God  intends  to  appropriate  it. 
Do  not  so.  Present  your  sacrifice,  and,  after  it  is  laid 
on  the  altar,  so  that  you  can  say 

"  lis  done,  the  great  transaction  's  done." 

Then  act  upon  the  principle  that  the  sacrifice  belongs 
to  God.  The  moment  you  laid  it  upon  the  altar,  it 
became  God's  property,  for  it  was  sanctified  by  virtue 
of  the  altar  upon  which  you  laid  it.     No  great  venture 


B  C  0  *  OMY      OF      S  A  L  V  A  T  ION.  369 

The  consuming  process.  The  devotement  of  a  daughter  contemplated. 

of  faith  is  called  for  here.  God's  word  declares  it,  and 
it  were  presumption  to  doubt.  And,  now  that  your 
offering  is  on  the  altar,  sanctified  and  cleansed  by  the 
infinite  virtue  there  is  in  Christ,  upon  whom  you  rest, 
and  through  whose  all-cleansing  blood  you  are  presented 
faultless  before  the  throne,  expect  the  consuming  process 
to  begin.  God  intends  to  use  you  ceaselessly.  You 
have  presented  yourself  as  a  "  whole  burnt  sacrifice," 
and  you  may,  perhaps,  be  called  to  self-sacrificing  duties 
quite  beyond  your  anticipations,  but  of  this  I  am  sure 
you  would  not  venture  on  a  choice,  though  it  were  left 
at  your  option.  You  have  submitted  yourself  to  the 
dictates  of  Infinite  Wisdom,  and  in  the  way  which  will 
tell  most  to  the  praise  of  God  on  your  eternal  inheri- 
tance, will  you  be  led. 

HOW  IS  IT  WITH  THAT  CHILD? 

And  now  are  you  constrained,  by  the  mercies  of  God, 
to  go  still  further  ?  Have  you  not  objects  specially  dear 
to  you,  which  ought  to  be  specifically  devoted  ?  How 
is  it  with  that  child  of  yours  ?  Is  she  a  little  daughter  ? 
God  has  only  entrusted  her  to  you  in  order  that  you 
may  bring  her  up  for  his  service.  Are  you  bringing  her 
up  to  shine  in  the  fashionable  circle,  or  specifically  in  view 
of  her  being  a  self-sacrificing  Christian  ?  O  make  a  vow 
of  special  devotement  in  view  of  some  special  position 
of  usefulness  in  which  she  may  most  glorify  God,  so 
that,  if  the  Lord  should  ever  call  her  to  heathen  lands, 
you  may  not  have  the  sacrifice  to  make,  but  may  say  it 
is  made.     She   has  long   since  been  set  apart  for  God, 


370  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Have  you  devoted  your  son  ?  Consecration  of  property. 

and  trained  for  his  service,  and  he  has   now  only  taken 
his  own, — of  his  own  have  I  given  him. 

And  how  is  it  with  that  son  ?  Look  abroad  over  the 
world,  and  see  its  wants.  How  great  is  the  harvest,  and 
how  few  are  the  laborers !  Is  there  not  a  vow  of  special 
devotedness  called  for  here  ?  Behold  the  heathen  in 
their  dark  and  perishing  state  !  God  sent  forth  from  his 
home  of  light  in  heaven,  his  only  begotten  Son.  The 
Son  of  God  left  the  bosom  of  his  Father  to  save  you. 
Would  it  be  too  much  to  spare  that  son  of  your  bosom, 
and  send  him  forth  from  his  home  of  light  to  save 
the  dark  and  perishing  heathen  ?  How  is  it  with  your 
property  ?  Of  all  that  you  can  appropriate,  you  can  only 
say,  "  Of  thine  own  have  I  given  thee  ! '  But  can  you 
not  now,  by  some  act  of  special  devotement  of  property, 
be  the  means  of  doing  something  toward  establishing  the 
worship  of  God  in  some  place  where  his  name  is  not  now 
recorded  ?  O !  hasten,  and  "  what  thy  hand  findeth  to 
do,  do  it  with  thy  might." 


<  m*m  i 


<gd  Baron  Stonr. 


"  Then  had  thy  peace  been  as  a  river,  and  thy  righteousness  as  the  waves  of  tin* 

sea." — Isaiah  xlviii.  18. 

Don't  aim  too  high,  for  the  benefits  of  getting  down 
low  are  incalculable.    Every  thing  in  religion  is  exceed- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  371 

Could  not  find  a  very  plain  way — and  why.  The  colored  woman. 

ingly  simple.  All  the  way  leading  from  earth  to  heaven, 
cast  up  for  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  to  walk  in,  is  so 
plain  that  wayfaring  men,  though  fools,  shall  not  err 
therein.  You  have  long  believed  that  full  salvation  is 
attainable  in  the  present  life.  And  I  need  not  say  that 
this  belief  involves  the  responsibility  to  be  holy.  But 
why  have  you  not  obtained  this  grace  ?  Not  because 
you  have  not  felt  the  necessity  of  it,  nor  because  you 
have  not,  by  prayer,  sought  it ;  but  you  have  been  look- 
ing too  high.  You  have  overlooked  the  simplicity  of 
the  way.  Some  time  since,  we  said  to  a  colored  woman, 
whose  countenance  seemed  to  reflect  the  image  of  the 
heavenly, — 

"  Do  you  enjoy  full  salvation?  " 

With  a  brightening  countenance  she  replied, — 

"  I  believe  I  do  "  ! 

She  then  reminded  us  of  an  occasion,  about  four 
years  previous,  when,  on  attending  a  social  meeting 
where  she  was,  we  had  said,  u  The  reason  why  many 
people  do  not  get  full  salvation  is,  because  they  do  not 
get  down  low  enough.  If  they  would  only  get  down 
very  low,  the  waves  of  salvation  would  roll  over  and 
over  them  !  "  When  I  heard  this,  I  resolved  I  would 
get  down  low !  I  did  get  down  low — very  low !  And, 
ever  since,  "  the  waves  of  salvation  have  been  rolling  over 
and  over  me  !  "  Poor  colored  woman  !  perhaps  she  did 
not  find  it  so  hard  to  get  down  low — very  low — as  some 
who  fancy  they  occupy  more  exalted  positions  in  life. 
*<  He  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted." 

"With  the  lowly  is  wisdom." 


372  ILLUSTRATIONS     OP     THE 


What  the  Savior  said  to  Thomas.  What  we  are  required  to  profess. 


loir's  Mori,  its  ohm  (Sbfoewe. 


If  the  Savior  were  now  to  say  to  you,  "  Dost  thou 
now  believe  ?  "  what  would  you  say  in  reply  ?  Surely, 
you  would  not  dare  to  say,  "  Lord  Jesus,  I  must  have 
some  sign  or  wonder ;  some  evidence  beyond  thy  word 
before  I  can  believe."  No  !  you  would  not  have  your 
faithful,  loving  Savior  upbraid  you  by  saying,  "Because 
thou  hast  seen,  thou  hast  believed."  Surely,  you  would 
prefer  the  blessedness  of  them  who  have  not  seen,  and 
yet  have  believed.  I  do  not  doubt  but  that,  in  your 
heart,  you  are  now  believing.  Take  the  next  step,  and 
hasten  to  confess  with  your  mouth  what  your  heart 
believes.  "  For  with  the  heart  man  believe tli  unto 
righteousness,  and,  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made 
unto  salvation." 

And  now,  how  long  do  you  intend  to  hold  fast  the 
profession  of  your  faith  ?  0,  do  not  forget  the  divine 
admonition  ;  u  Let  us  hold  fast  the  profession  of  our 
faith  without  wavering,  for  he  is  faithful  that  promised." 
Then  you  need  not  wait  till  you  receive  sensible  mani- 
festations before  you  profess  your  faith,  for  it  is  not  your 
sensible  manifestations  that  you  are  required  to  profess, 
but  your  faith.  "  Now  the  just  shall  live  by  faith  ;  but, 
if  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  no  pleasure 
in  him.  But  we  are  not  of  them  that  draw  back,  but 
of  them  who  believe  to  the  saving  of  the  soul."  Do 
not  infer  that  I  would  have  you  profess  before  you 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  373 


A  supposition  concerning  the  nobleman,  whose  child  was  cured. 


heartily  believe,  for  professing  does  not  bring  the  bless- 
ing ;  but,  after  you  have  believed,  profession  becomes 
a  duty.  Do  not  take  my  word,  but  examine  the  Scrip- 
tures yourself  on  this  point.  If  the  nobleman  had  been 
accosted  on  his  return,  by  an  inquiring  friend,  "  Does 
your  child  live  ? '  would  it  have  been  profession 
without  evidence  had  he  said,  "  Surely  my  child  lives  "  ? 

"  How  do  you  know  it  ?  "  says  his  friend. 

u  I  know  it,  because  I  have  the  word  of  the  Son  of 
God  to  assure  me  of  it." 

"  But  is  not  this  believing  without  an  evidence  ?  " 

"  Believing  without  an  evidence  !  while  I  have  the 
w  ord  of  Christ  assuring  me  that  my  child  lives  !  No ; 
I  believe  the  word  of  Christ,  (for  the  man  believed  the 
word  of  Jesus.)  My  child  lives  ! '  And  soon  his  ser- 
vants meet  him,  and  give  corroborative  evidence  and 
soon  he  reaches  his  home,  and,  with  his  own  eyes,  he 
has  sensible  demonstration  of  the  fact.  The  subject  is 
no  more  a  matter  of  faith,  but  of  sight.  But  is  he  any 
more  sure  of  it  now  than  he  was  before  ?  No  ;  for  true 
as  the  volume  of  inspiration  is  true,  he  believed  it  be- 
fore, and  from  the  heart  knew  it  just  as  well  before  as 
now.  u  Now  faith  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for, 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen."  Abraham  was  strong 
in  faith,  giving  glory  to  God.  O,  be  a  follower  of  his 
faith,  and  let  your  whole  soul  cry  out 

"  The  thing  surpasses  all  my  thought; 
But  faithful  is  my  Lord ; 
Through  unbelief  I  stagger  not, 
For  God  hath  spoke  the  word." 
88 


374  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

A  question — answered  by  a  vision.         Missiles  turning  to  gold.         The  promise. 


(BnruM  %  ©rials. 


"  How  can  this  and  the  other  trial  so  peculiar  and 
afflictive  in  character,  work  together  for  your  good?" 
said  the  enemy  to  my  dear  friend.  To  the  eye  of  mere 
human  reason,  it  was  indeed  difficult  to  see  how  such 
trials  could  result  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of 
the  soul.  While  thus  ruminating,  a  scene  passed  in 
vision  before  him.  Enemies  gathered  in  formidable 
array  outside  of  his  dwelling.  Resolved  on  his  utter 
destruction,  they  gathered  all  sorts  of  destructive  mis- 
siles, and  hurled  them,  with  vengeful  force,  in  at  his 
windows,  threatening  the  destruction  of  his  property 
and  his  life.  But  their  force  is  broken,  and  they  fall 
harmless  at  his  feet.  He  gathers  them  as  they  fall,  and 
lo !  every  missile  has  turned  to  gold — pure  gold.  "And 
now,"  says  his  heavenly  Instructor,  "  does  not  your 
heart  say,  '  Throw  on  yet  more  rapidly,  for  the  more 
rapidly  you  work,  the  richer  do  I  become ! '  "  And 
just  so  it  is  with  the  missiles  of  Satan,  however  varied 
or  vengeful.  The  test  of  faith  is  more  precious  than 
gold  that  perisheth.  How  instructive  and  inspiring  are 
the  words,  "  That  the  trial  of  your  faith,  being  more 
precious  than  gold  which  perisheth,  though  it  be  tried 
with  fire,  might  be  found  unto  praise,  and  honor  and 
glory  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ  "  ? 

"  Our  light  affliction,  which  is  but  for  a  moment, 
worketh  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory." 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION  375 

A  small  price  accepted  for  a  great  treasure.        The  Savior  kept  out  of  the  heart. 


mu  than  Judas. 


THE  SAVIOR  SOLD  FOR  LESS  THAN  THIRTY   PIECES  OF  SILVER. 


Many  sell  their  Savior  at  a  less  price  than  Judas  did. 
He  obtained  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  but  I  have  known 
some  who,  from  indulgence  in  a  wrong  habit,  or  the 
retainment  of  an  injurious  friend,  others  for  some  tri- 
fling adornments,  with  many  other  foolish  and  hurtful 
lusts,  which  might  seem  so  small  that  the  very  mention 
of  them  would  cause  a  blush  of  shame.  Should  you  ask 
such  an  one,  "  Do  you  think  that  object  worth  thirty 
pieces  of  silver  ?  "  the  answer  would  be  frankly  returned, 
"  No !  "  These  do  not  mean  to  part  with  the  Savior 
for  such  trifles,  but  the  matter  ends  in  this,  and  they  do, 
in  reality,  part  with  the  Savior  as  effectually  as  though 
there  had  been  a  formal  bargain,  as  in  the  case  of  Judas. 

A  variety  of  instances,  in  which  the  Savior  has  been 
kept  out  of  the  heart,  come  up  before  the  vision  of  my 
mind.  There  must  be  a  reason  why  the  Lord  has  not 
revealed  himself  fully  to  you.  Perhaps  there  is  some- 
thing on  your  mind,  which  you  think  you  may  have  to 
do  after  you  get  religion,  which  you  are  not  willing  to 
do  now. 

Said  I,  to  one  who  loved  a  fashionable  exterior,  but 
who,  without  any  external  change,  had  presented  her- 
self often  at  the  altar  of  prayer  as  a  seeker,  "  Have  you 
never  thought  it  might  be  your  duty  to  give  up  a  cer- 


376  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 

"  I  thought  I  would  wait."  Joined  the  church ,  but— questions  answered  only  by  sighs. 

tain  badge  of  worldly  conformity  ?  "  which  I  specified. 
She  burst  into  tears  and  said — 

"  O,  I  thought  I  would  wait  till  I  experienced 
religion." 

"  If  you  have  had  it  on  your  mind  as  a  duty,  you  will 
never  get  religion  till  you  give  it  up." 

But  she  still  persevered,  endeavoring  to  bring  the 
Lord  to  her  terms,  instead  of  coming  to  his.  She  joined 
the  church,  mingled  with  the  mass  of  professors,  and, 
when  asked  how  she  is  getting  along,  is  generally  ready 
to  say,  that  she  has  good  desires,  and  is  thankful  that  it 
is  as  well  with  her  as  it  is.  I  have  had  opportunities  to 
watch  her  progress,  and  never  had  evidence  which  satis- 
fied my  mind,  that  she  was  ever  truly  born  of  the  Spirit. 

Last  week,  my  pastor  asked  me  to  go  and  speak  to  a 
person  who  had,  several  times,  bowed  as  a  seeker  of 
salvation.  I  went  and  kneeled  affectionately  beside  her, 
and  inquired  whether  it  was  her  resolve  to  give  up 
every  thing  that  intervened  between  God  and  her  soul. 
She  answered  only  with  a  sigh.  I  had  heard  that,  even 
since  she  had  come  out  as  a  seeker,  she  had  been  indul- 
ging in  worldly  amusements,  and  company.  She 
seemed  in  earnest.  Again  I  pressed  my  inquiries,  and 
said,  "  Is  it  your  purpose  to  give  up  the  world,  and  be 
a  self-denying  follower  of  the  Savior  as  long  as  you 
live  ?  Still  she  answered  only  by  heavy  sighs.  I  told 
her  how  the  Savior  was  now  calling  her  to  be  his  disci- 
ple— of  those  early  disciples  who,  when  they  were 
called,  immediately  forsook  all,  and  followed  him, — of 
the  only  condition  upon  which  Christ  received  his  disci 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  377 


The  term8 — the  only  terms.       "  I  am  not  willing."       A  fear  expressed.      Caste. 

pies,  "Except  a  man  deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross, 
and  follow  after  me,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple." — And 
then  said,  "  Are  you  willing  to  be  a  disciple  upon  these 
conditions  ?  "  Still  she  made  no  reply,  but  by  the  deep 
sighs  of  her  inmost  heart.  When  I  said,  "  I  surely 
cannot  give  you  advice,  suited  to  your  condition,  until 
I  know  what  your  condition  is,  and  unless  you  answer 
my  inquiries,  I  must  leave  you ;  now  tell  me,  you 
either  are,  or  are  not,  willing."  "lam  not  willing," 
she  emphatically  replied.  With  equal  emphasis  I 
enjoined,  "  Then  God  is  not  willing  to  receive  you" 
With  a  yearning  heart,  I  endeavored  to  impress  her 
with  the  inconsistency  and  great  danger  of  her  position  ; 
but  she  resisted  all,  and,  for  the  time,  ceased  to  present 
herself  as  a  seeker  of  salvation.  Little  probability  re- 
,  mains  that  she  ever  obtained  it.  I  fear  she  sold  her 
Savior  for  less  than  thirty  pieces  of  silver. 


HIH 


Jtriaiotrarg  to  HUligious  Jtoajwiatwttk 


Nothing  seems  so  small  to  me  as  those  ideas  of  caste 
entertained  by  some  well-meaning  persons.  Let  us 
take  this, 


it*      §      #     Bright  candle  of  the  Lord! 
Star  of  eternity !  the  only  star 
By  which  the  bark  of  man  can  navigate 
The  sea  of  life,  and  gain  the  coast  of  bliss 
Securely!  only  star  which  shines  on  time," 
32* 


378  ILLUSTRATIONS      OF      THE 


Social  position  of  the  heroes  of  Bible  story.         The  Savior's  choice  of  disciples. 

and  look  at  this  subject  as  regarded  by  God.  See  bow 
both  the  Old  and  New  Testament  Scriptures,  by  histor- 
ical narrations  and  positive  mandate,  reprove  such  ideas, 
and  assure  us  that  we  must  not  mind  high  things.  How 
palpably  are  we  met,  on  almost  every  page  of  the  Bible, 
with  assurances  that  the  wisdom  of  this  world  is  foolish- 
ness with  God !  Think  of  the  father  of  the  faithful, 
called  to  leave  his  home  and  kindred,  to  journey  as  a 
stranger,  not  knowing  whither  he  went.  Think  of 
Jacob,  driven  from  his  home  by  the  fury  of  his  brother, 
resting  in  the  wilderness  at  night  with  only  a  stone  for 
his  pillow ;  of  Joseph,  taken  from  a  prison  into  the  pres- 
ence of  Pharaoh ;  of  Moses,  not  called  from  Pharaoh's 
court,  but  from  the  care  of  the  sheep  in  the  wilderness, 
to  lead  the  Israelites  to  the  promised  land ;  David,  the 
least  among  his  brethren,  called  to  the  throne  of  Israel ; 
Daniel,  a  captive,  to  be  a  revealer  of  mysteries  from  the 
court  of  heaven  to  an  earthly  king,  and  designated  as 
the  u  man  greatly  beloved  ; '  last,  yet  above  all,  think 
of  Christ  born  in  a  manger,  and  called  a  Nazarene. 

Why  did  not  the  Savior  take  to  the  companionship  of 
his  bosom,  and  of  his  toilsome  travels  from  city  to 
city,  the  recipients  of  his  closest  teachings,  persons  of 
the  more  refined  classes  ?  Kingly  palaces,  halls  of 
science,  schools  for  theology,  were  open  to  his  inspec- 
tion, and,  from  the  choicest  inmates  of  each,  he  might 
have  chosen  followers,  whose  refined  literary  and  theo- 
logical tastes  might,  in  earthly  estimation,  be  better 
fitted  for  companionship  with  the  Prince  of  glory.  Then 
why  did  he  choose  those,  by  whom  was  to  be  transmit- 


ECONOMY      OF      SALVATION.  379 

A  practical  reproof.  Heaven's  mark  of  nobility.  An  opinicn  expressed. 

ted  the  mysteries  of  the  kingdom  to  all  succeeding  gen- 
erations, from  among  the  common  people  ?  How  does 
the  example  of  the  Savior  reprove  every  high  thought 
— every  thing  that  would  favor  the  prevalence  of  aristo- 
cratic notions  in  the  choice  of  religious  associations*! 


rmtmt 


0  m  tto  SkiatamutS  af  *§mm  ? 


If  such  a  word  might  be  found  in  heaven's  vocabu- 
lary as  aristocracy,  we  should  find  it  to  mean  those 
who  are  more  eminently  the  friends  of  God,  constituted 
such  by  more  marked  carefulness  in  keeping  his  com- 
mandments. "  Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye  do  whatever  I 
command  you.'  Abraham  was  marked  as  one  of  the 
peculiar  favorites  of  the  court  of  heaven.  But  that  which 
constituted  him  such  is  oftener  found  among  the  poor 
than  among  the  rich.  Abraham  believed  God,  and  it 
was  counted  unto  him  for  righteousness,  and  he  was 
called  the  friend  of  God.  From  my  own  observation,  and 
from  Bible  admission,  I  conclude  that  more  faith,  propor- 
tionately, may  be  found  among  the  poorer  class  in  com- 
munity, than  among  the  rich.  God  hath  chosen  the  poor 
of  this  world,  rich  in  faith,  and  heirs  of  the  kingdom. 

WHO  MOST  PROPER  TO  TAKE  CHARGE  OF  A  CONVERT! 

And  are  not  these  views  also  in  keeping  with  the 
views  of  my  dear  Mrs. ?    So  I  conjecture  from  re- 


380  ILLUSTRATIONS,      ETC. 

Incidental  indications  of  religious  confidence.        "Jesus  seeing  their  faith." 

viewing  little  incidentals  in  our  intercourse.  Let  me 
revert  to  two  or  three. 

Why  did  you  not  think   of  sending  for  your  pastor, 

Dr. ,  as  readily  as  you  thought  of  sending  for  Mr. 

-,  when  your  son  was  under  conviction  ?     Why  did 

you  think  the  other  son  more  likely  to  get  under 
awakening  influences,  in  that  little  Mission  Church,  than 
under  the  ministrations  to  which  he  has  been  accus- 
tomed ?    And  then,  in  regard  to  your  son  H ,  we  will 

not  say  that  he  would  not  have  been  converted  had  he 
not  gone  there  ;  but  I  will  ask,  "  Do  you  think  it  proba- 
ble that  he  would  have  been  converted,  if  it  had  not 
been  for  that  specific  union  of  mighty  faith,  in  his  be- 
half, which  was  proposed  at  that  meeting,  on  the  evening 
of  his  conversion  ?  "  To  my  mind,  his  case  furnishes  a 
remarkable  exhibition  of  that  sort  of  faith,  to  which  the 
Savior  refers,  when  the  friends  of  the  palsied  man  let. 
him  down  through  the  roof,  and  placed  him  in  the  im- 
mediate presence  of  the  Savior.  It  was  the  faith  of  the 
friends  of  this  man  that  was  recognized  in  his  cure. 
"  And  Jesus,  seeing  their  faith,  said  to  the  sick  of  the 
palsy,  rise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk."  The  man,  of 
course,  was  willing  to  be  brought,  and  placed  himself 
in  an  attitude  to  be  taken,  or  he  had  not  been  healed. 
But  had  this  man  needed  any  one  to  watch  over  the 
interests  of  his  health  afterwards,  do  you  not  think  that 
those  friends,  who  had  taken  so  much  pains  to  place 
him  at  the  feet  of  the  heavenly  Healer,  would  have 
been  the  most  deeply  solicitous,  and,  consequently,  the 
most  proper  to  undertake  the  guardianship  ? 


NOTICES  OF  MRS,  PALMER'S  WORKS. 


The  chief  characteristic  of  Mrs.  Palmer's  productions  may  be  briefly  summed  up 
thus :  1.  A  lofty  and  pure  ideal  of  Christianity  and  the  Christian  life.  2.  She  is 
deeply  in  earnest  to  exemplify  this  ideal,  not  by  fitful  endeavors,  but  by  a  steady, 
persistent  strife.  In  her  there  is  no  tinge  of  quietism.  3.  Her  writings  are  well 
adapted  to  set  every  body  in  motion  with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  We  know 
of  no  human  book  that  will  so  stir  a  psraou's  soul  to  its  lowest  depths  as  her 
"  Faith  and  its  Effects."  We  once  circulated  a  few  dozen  of  that  book  among  a 
church  spiritually  dead,  and  the  result  was  a  gracious  revival.  Her  books  make 
forking  Christians.  4.  They  exhibit  a  rare  insight  into  the  Scriptures,  a  clear  view 
of  the  temptations  of  the  enemy,  and  the  method  provided  for  our  escape  ;  while, 
at  the  same  time,  they  open  up  so  clearly  the  great  doctrine  of  Holiness,  that  no  one 
in  earnest  to  find  it  need  stumble.  5.  As  a  crowning  excellence,  they  indicate  a 
present  salvation.  Many  have  a  way  of  talking  and  writing  about  religion  very 
convincing,  inleed,  but  then  the  hearer  or  reader,  after  swallowing  the  nostrum, 
falls  asleep,  without  thinking  or  making  any  effort  for  the  next  twenty  years.  Not 
so  with  our  author:  every  line  is  an  exhortation  to  present  duty.  First  shedding 
light  on  the  subject  patiently,  till  all  the  phases  of  ft  become  clear,  the  next  is 
action  —  present,  steady,  persistent  action.  Many  receive  the  doctrine  of  holiness 
in  a  vague  and  general  manner,  which  leaves  them  at  liberty  to  act  now,  by  and 
by,  or  never  ;  but  in  these  works  they  are  driven  to  the  wall,  and  made  to  feel  that 
now  is  the  accepted  time.  The  perusal  of  these  works  will  always  be  attended 
with  happy  results.  They  are  excellent  to  put  in  the  hands  of  young  converts.  — 
Zion's  Herald. 


THE  WAY  OF  HOLINESS,  WITH  NOTES  BY  THE 
WAY.       Thirty- sixth  American  Edition. 

We  regard  the  reading  of  this  book  as  an  era  in  the  progress  of  our  Christian 
experience.  So  it  is  also  regarded  by  numbers  who  have  read  it  in  this  place.  We 
wish  those  who  oppose  the  doctrine  of  holiness  would  read  this  book,  and  then  ask 
themselves  whether  that  doctrine  really  tends  to  let  down,  as  has  been  reported, 
the  standard  of  the  gospel,  and  whether  such  an  experience  can  originate  from 
other  than  the  Spirit  of  truth.  We  recommend  it  as  one  of  the  best  books  that  can 
b«  placed  in  the  hands  of  inquirers  after  full  salvation  in  Christ.     It  bears  the 

(1) 


N.OTICES  OF   MRS.  PALMER'S  WORKS. 


stamp  of  no  one  particular  sect,  but  teaches  the  way  of  holiness  in  truth  and  love. 
—  Evangelist. 

"  The  Way  of  Holiness  "  is  pure  in  sentiment,  correct  in  theology,  and  beautiful 
in  composition.  Of  all  that  has  been  written  on  the  blessed  theme  of  entire  sancti- 
fication,  it  is  doubtful  whether  any  thing  is  better  calculated  to  rouse  pious  desire, 
and  guide  the  soul  in  its  seeking.  —  Ladies'  Repository. 

We  are  led  to  admire  the  common  sense  and  judicious  manner  in  which  Mrs. 
Palmer  writes  on  the  subject  of  Christian  perfection.  This  volume  combines  reli- 
gious experience  and  Bible  argument.  It  contains  enough  of  the  former  to  illustrate, 
and  enough  of  the  latter  to  prevent,  its  being  insipid.  —  Christian  Repository. 

We  would  commend  this  work  to  all  who  are  perplexed  as  to  the  nature  of  true 
faith,  as  well  as  to  the  confident  Christian.  The  work  has  been  highly  commended 
by  many,  and  great  has  been  the  demand  for  it Weekly  Message. 

"  The  Way  of  Holiness,  with  Notes  by  the  Way."  1st  English,  from  34th 
American  Edition.  Contains  a  remarkably  clear  exposition  of  the  doctrine  of  entire 
sanctification,  and  of  the  scriptural  way  of  attaining  to  the  experience  of  this 
inestimable  blessing.  The  Notes,  which  constitute  the  second  part  of  the  book, 
relate  the  experience  of  the  writer,  a  singularly  devoted  American  Methodist.  The 
book  has  been  well  received  in  America,  and  is  well  worthy  of  acceptance  in 
England,  where  we  trust  it  will  arouse  and  instruct  many  to  walk  in  the  way  of 
holiness.  —  Wesleyan  Methodist  Magazine,  England. 

One  of  the  best  books  of  its  class  which  has  been  issued  from  the  press  for  a  long 
time.  We  envy  not  the  feelings  of  the  individual  who  can  read  it  without  resolving 
on  entire  devotion  to  God.  If  such  books  were  more  in  vogue,  more  holiness  of  life 
would  be  exemplified  by  professed  Christians.  —  Methodist  Association  Magazine, 
England. 

We  do  most  heartily  desire  and  pray  that  such  zeal  and  piety  as  Mrs.  Palmer's 
may  every  where  be  kindled,  and  that  such  narratives  of  experience  may  be  greatly 
multiplied.  —  London  Watchman,  England. 

A  deeply  interesting  book,  on  a  most  important  subject.  It  is  true  to  the  experi- 
ence of  almost  every  Christian.  It  cannot  be  perused,  with  thought  and  prayer, 
without  much  spiritual  benefit  resulting  therefrom.  We  cordially  commend  it  to 
our  readers. Methodist  Pilot,  England. 

It  is  a  book  rich  in  experience,  and  breathing  a  spirit  full  of  humility  and  love. — 
Primitive  Methodlit  Magaiinn,  England. 

We  do  not  expect  our  friends  to  buy  and  peruse  every  book  mentioned  in  these 
notices ;  but  here  is  one  which  we  are  not  willing  to  suppose  will  escape  the 
examination  of  any  Christian  whose  eye  may  light  upon  this  recommendation  of  it. 
There  is  .an  unusual  degree  of  simplicity  in  the  narrative,  such  as  we  think  could 
not  be  arrived  at  except  by  the  chastening  power  of  the  Sanctifier.  The  author  has 
but  one  aim  ;  namely,  to  present  pictures  —  daguerreotype  impressions  —  of  her 
states  of  mind,  from  the  time  she  started  in  the  way  to  seek  Holiness  until  after  she 
attained  it.  The  difficulties  she  encountered,  their  effect  upon  her  mind,  and  the 
manner  of  her  escape,  are  also  so  represented  that  the  pious  reader  readily  appre- 
hends them,  and  often  finds  that  as  in  water  face  answereth  to  face,  so  does  heart 
to  heart  in  religious  experience.  We  earnestly  commend  this  little  volume  to  all 
who  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness.  —  Bishop  Hamlinc .-  Ladies'  Repository. 


NOTICES   OF    MRS.   PALMER'S  WORKS. 


FAITH  AND  ITS  EFFECTS;  OB,  FRAGMENTS 
FROM  MY  PORTFOLIO.  Twenty-fourth  American 
Edition.      By  Mrs.  Phgebe  Palmer. 

We  know  of  few  who  have  labored  more,  or  more  successfully,  in  promoting  the 
rause  of  Holiness  than  the  author  of  these  "Fragments."  It  is  a  delightful  fact 
that  the  works  written  by  her  have  met  with  a  most  unprecedented  sale.  The 
author  shows  clearly  that  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  believers  should  be  wholly 
sanctified.  In  doing  this,  she  exposes  and  corrects  the  errors  into  which  some  had 
fallen,  points  out  the  short  and  good  old  way  of  attaining  this  state  of  grace,  and 
supports  all  she  advances  by  direct  and  incidental  appeals  to  the  Word  of  Ood.  — 
Christian  Advocate  and  Journal. 

In  this  work  such  light  is  thrown  upon  the  precise  point  of  transit  from  condem- 
nation to  favor,  bondage  to  liberty,  partial  to  full  salvation,  as  is  not  perhaps  so 
clearly  done  in  any  other  human  composition.  The  prevailing  error  of  waiting  for 
greater  preparedness  of  mind,  and  for  impulses  and  manifestations  from  on  high, 
before  we  may  consider  ourselves  called  upon  to  trust  God  for  justification  and 
sanctification,  is  exposed,  and  the  simplicity  of  faith,  and  manner  of  its  exercise, 
so  logically  presented  as  to  be  nearly  if  not  quite  unmistakable  to  the  least  dis- 
cerning mind.  —  Zion's  Herald. 

It  treats  of  every  stage  of  religious  experience  and  practice,  from  the  dawn  of 
conviction  for  sin  to  the  stage  of  hallowed  intimacy  with  God  enjoyed  by  the 
mature  veteran  believer.  The  reader  will  find  here  the  best  thoughts  on  a  thousand 
points  of  Christian  truth  of  a  mind  highly  endued  by  nature,  constantly  impelled 
by  a  consuming  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  and  enlightened  and  guided  by  long- 
continued  habits  of  communion  with  God  and  his  word.  The  whole  is  illustrated 
and  enlivened  by  a  happy  intermixture  of  fact  and  incident,  never,  perhaps,  to  be 
met  with  in  a  work  on  experimental  divinity,  save  the  book  in  question.  —  Northern. 
Christian  Advocate. 

It  is  calculated  to  instruct  and  interest  every  believer,  and  it  seems  particularly 
adapted  to  Sabbath  school  teachers.  It  will  greatly  assist  them  in  explaining  the 
tcay  of  faith  to  their  scholars,  and,  if  prayerfully  read,  will  not  fail  to  increase  in 
their  own  hearts  the  work  of  faith  with  power.  —  Sabbath  School  Advocate. 

This  work  has  met  with  a  remarkable  sale,  bespeaking  a  growing  piety  in  the 
church.  A  revival  of  religion  on  the  right  basis  is  that  which  carries  believers  on 
to  perfection.  In  the  Methodist  and  other  churches  such  a  revival  was  perhaps 
never  more  general  than  at  present ;  and  in  the  United  States  and  in  Canada  this 
has  in  no  small  degree  been  promoted  by  Mrs.  Palmer's  writings.  It  is  only  a  truism 
to  assert  that  Mrs.  Palmer  is  eminently  scriptural.  —  Christian  Guardian,  Canada. 

An  18mo  volume  of  352  pages,  illustrating  very  fully  the  nature  of  "  Faith  and  its 
Effects."  It  is  written  in  a  simple,  concise,  and  persuasive  style.  The  child  or  tho 
adult,  the  Christian  or  the  unbeliever,  may  be  profited  by  its  perusal.  —  Family 
Guardian. 

"  Faith  and  its  Effects,  by  Mrs.  Phoebe  Palmer."  1st  English,  from  22d  American 
Edition.  This  little  work  is  rich  in  all  the  best  experiences  of  the  Christian  life. 
If  the  rationale  of  faith  is  still  to  seek,  its  reality  and  power  are  put  beyond  all 
doubt  or  controversy,  and  the  believer  stands  immeasurably  in  advance  of  tin 
philosopher.  —  London  Quarterly,  England. 


NOTICES   OF   MRS.   PALMER'S  WORKS. 


The  won't  consists  of  a  series  of  letters,  which,  for  simplicity,  religious  beauty, 
and  adaptation  for  usefulness,  were  never  surpassed.  They  are  eminently  calcu- 
lated to  strengthen  faith,  and  promote  the  advancement  of  spirituality  and  holiness 
in  the  soul.  —  Methodist  Magazine,  London,  England. 

Another  eminently  pious  work  from  the  pen  of  the  devoted  Mrs.  Palmer.  It 
breathes  the  same  spirit  as  "  The  Way  of  Holiness,"  and  cannot  fail  to  fan  the 
flame  of  devotion  wherever  it  circulates.  We  would  recommend  all  class  leaders 
in  the  Methodist  churches  to  strive  to  circulate  both  works  among  the  members 
under  their  charge.     Next  to  the  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  such  works  must 

contribute  largely  to  the  formation  of  all  the  habits  of  a  holy  life. Methodist 

Association  Magazine,  London,  England. 

It  contains  gems  of  gospel  truth,  and  is  pervaded  by  a  strong  devotional  feeling  — 
a  feelinir  which  finds  its  way  to  the  heart  of  every  Christian  reader.  —  British 
Mothers'  Magazine,  London. 

The  late  Rev.  Dr.  Bond,  in  a  lengthy  and  most  favorable  editorial  notice  of  this 
work,  referring  to  its  rapid  sale,  says,  "  The  work,  therefore,  must  be  extensively 
known  and  approved,  and  does  not  require  any  eulogy  from  us  to  commend  it  to 
the  public  attention.  Tlie  subject,  however,  which  the  work  embraces  — '  Faith  and 
its  Effects  '  —  can  never  be  exhausted  or  become  of  less  interest  by  its  familiarity. 
On  the  contrary,  it  will  be  increasingly  appreciated  as  we  come  more  and  more  to 
comprehend  it  in  all  its  baarings  and  depth  of  meaning.  The  author  of  '  Faith  and 
its  Effects'  takes  the  right  way  to  explain  the  nature  and  effects  of  saving  faith- 
namely,  by  the  Scriptures  and  experience.  There  are  no  metaphysical  speculations 
employed.  It  assumes  that  Gad  has  spoken.  This  fact  is  supposed  to  be  demon- 
strated by  indubitable  evidence,  and  then  all  that  remains  is  to  inquire  what  he  has 
said,  and  to  rely  upon  it  as  true.  This  evidence  is  faith.  But  of  course  the  faith 
to  be  exercised  will  consist  of  various  acts,  each  necessary  to  salvation,  but  not 
essentially  the  same  act.  .  .  .  We  do  not  wonder,  then,  that  this  little  book, 
illustrating  and  making  plain  '  Faith  and  its  Effects  '  should  have  had  such  an 
extensive  run.  We  hope  the  demand  will  still  increase." —  Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal,  New  York. 

PRESENT  TO  MY  CHRISTIAN  FRIEND;  OR, 
ENTIRE  DEVOTION.  By  Mrs.  Phcebe  Palmer.  Twen- 
tieth Edition. 

A  charming  little  present  for  the  holidays.  A  new  edition,  greatly  improved  and 
enlarged.  Though  presented  in  a  new  form,  with  a  large  addition  of  new  matter, 
it  has  no  new  doctrines  to  teach.  A  mere  announcement  of  the  work  will  be 
sufficient  to  lead  raanj  to  supply  themselves  with  it.  —  Western  Christian  Advocate. 

Well  worthy  a  place  in  the  Christian  library,  or  as  a  travelling  pocket  companion. 
—  Christian  Repository. 

Wc  know  no  work  of  its  size  comprising  so  much  that  is  calculated  to  arrest  the 
attention,  and  fix  the  mind  of  the  reader  on  the  importance  and  attractiveness  of 
Ih B  subject  of  which  it  treats.  -- -  Guide  to  Holiness. 

This  invaluable  little  work  contains  nearly  double  as  much  matter  as  the  earlier 
editions.  So  widely  is  the  beloved  author  known  that  any  words  of  explanation 
or  recommendation  would  be  superfluous.  —  Ladies'  Repository. 


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